The district administration on Thursday conducted the monthly road safety review meeting to discuss the need to make Trichy roads safer. However, a section of road safety activists lamented that such discussions were often conducted secretly.
For better performance of the road safety council, local people have sought the participation of additional and rural representatives to convey their grievances as the majority of complaints taken up at the meeting pertains to city roads.
The mandatory road safety meeting chaired by district collector S Sivarasu and attended by senior police officials at the district collectorate discussed the road safety concerns of the common public.
The district administration said it is permitting two members belonging to non-governmental organisations to raise road infrastructure needs.
“We were told about the conduct of the road safety meeting only after it was over. District administration should invite more people to hear grievances regarding road safety and suggestions to avoid traffic congestion,” K Shyam Sundar, member of Trichy Intra-City Development Endeavours (TIDES) said.
The demand to allow media coverage at road safety meetings as in farmers’ grievance meetings remains unaddressed. “Most of the demands placed at road safety meetings and the press releases we get to see were city-based issues. Rural roads that are deprived of road safety infrastructure are neglected,” V Baskaran, a resident of Vayalur Road said.
When asked about the possibility of increasing public participation at road safety meeting, officials in the district administration gave an elusive answer. “We will think about adding new members to the road safety council,” an official said.
Source: TOI
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