'Safe drive' call echoes on Drivers' Day
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 14 2017: The Drivers' Day was observed today at the IOC's new depot at Malom on the theme 'Safe Drive, Safe for All" under the aegis of the All Manipur Petroleum Product Drivers Association.

Offering of homage to the drivers who were killed in the line of duty and presentation of gifts to drivers were the main highlights of the gathering.

Drivers, transporters and representatives of IOC's retail outlets attended the commemorative function.

Transport Joint Director BK Sharma, IOC Senior Depot Manager D Mephun Maring, IOC Chief Divisional Manager and State Level Coordinator S Ibungoton attended the function as chief guest, president and guest of honour respectively.

Unable to tolerate any longer different forms of atrocities committed upon drivers who were always looked down upon in the society, thousands of drivers gathered at Koirengei airfield and staged a seven-day agitation starting from January 14, 1990.Since then, drivers and transporters of the State have been observing January 14 as Drivers' Day every year.

'Safe drive' call echoes on Drivers' Day

Speaking at the gathering, BK Sharma informed that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has given its approval to the proposal of opening a regional driving training centre in Manipur under PPP model.

Altogether 10 acres have been set aside for the proposed regional driving training centre which would be equipped with administrative building, hostel, mechanical driving track, lane driving, laboratory, speedometer, driving test with sensor and other facilities.

At present, there are three driving schools in the State which have been recognised by the State, BK Sharma said.

Noting that this year's theme of the Drivers' Day is highly significant, BK Sharma cited a UN report which put China and India on top of the list of countries where maximum fatal accidents take place.

In India, around one lakh people were killed in road accidents in a year while five people were maimed.

The economic losses due to road accidents was around Rs 5000 crore in a year.

The social loss like the hardships endured by surviving families of road accidents was also enormous, BK Sharma said.

It was estimated that road accidents in Manipur occur everyday and one person is killed in road accidents every second day.

Against 692 cases of road accidents recorded in 2011, 158 people were killed, 633 people sustained critical injuries while 485 people sustained minor injuries.

The corresponding figures for 2015 were 671, 139, 264 and 937 respectively.

This is a significant improvement, he remarked.

A report on how to reduce these road accidents was submitted to the Supreme Court after three months by Road Safety, State Nodal Officer.

Meanwhile, the apex Court has instructed that the number of road accidents should be brought down by 50 per cent by 2020 through safe driving.

However, only the Transport Department can never reduce cases of road accidents.

It needs collective efforts of Police, PWD, Medical Department, transporters' unions, drivers' unions, media, NGOs and other stake holders, BK Sharma continued.

There are little instances of bulk transportation of explosive or inflammable chemicals in Manipur with the exception of petroleum products.

He then appealed to all oil tanker drivers not to ever forget that what they have been transporting is some sort of a bomb which can explode any time.

As per a report of the Pune based Central Institute of Road Transport which functions under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), 60 per cent of the road accidents that take place across the country are attributed to drivers' mistakes.

However, the drivers of Manipur have been enduring all kinds of life-threatening challenges and humiliating atrocities for decades.

One driver sustained bullet injury when a convoy of trucks was attacked by militants along Imphal-Jiribam highway recently.

While saluting the entire driver fraternity of the State on the occasion of Drivers' Day, BK Sharma prayed that all the injured drivers may recover speedily.

S Ibungoton spoke about how petroleum drivers/transporters should petroleum products in the safest manner.

D Mephun Maring noted that the Drivers' Day was being observed for the first time at the IOC's Malom depot.

Unlike other States, oil tanker drivers of the State move with security convoys and are driving during night time most of the time.

As such, they get very little time for rest.

The drivers who have been doing their duties under such adverse conditions are indeed heroes, Mephun Maring remarked.

The IOC would undertake a road safety campaign for three months.

The campaign has been already kick started this month.

Different posters would be provided to drivers for pasting on their vehicles.

Election related wall posters and pamphlets were also distributed at the gathering under the aegis of the Chief Electoral Officer, Manipur.

The Drivers' Day was also observed at Khuman Lampak ISBT today under the aegis of the All Manipur Road Transport Drivers and Motor Workers' Union (AMRTD&MWU) .

Transport Commissioner M Lakshmikumar and AMRTD&MWU president S Manglem graced the observance as presidium members.