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  India   17 MPs write to Modi for tough road safety rules

17 MPs write to Modi for tough road safety rules

PTI
Published : Jun 29, 2016, 2:22 am IST
Updated : Jun 29, 2016, 2:22 am IST

Concerned over about 400 deaths in road crashes every day, a group of parliamentarians on Tuesday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention for urgent introduction of a strong road safety leg

Concerned over about 400 deaths in road crashes every day, a group of parliamentarians on Tuesday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention for urgent introduction of a strong road safety legislation in the forthcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.

“We write to request your urgent intervention in the introduction of a strong road safety bill in Parliam-ent...It is important to note that road accidents in India are responsible for about 400 deaths every day and cause an economic loss of `3.8 lakh crore,” seventeen MPs cutting across party lines said in a letter to the Prime Minister.

The MPs requested the PM to consider bifurcating Road Safety Bill into two Bills, one on the road safety and traffic management with wider agreement and the other on transportation reforms, taxation and other issues. The signatories include five Congress MPs, besides MPs from other political parties.

Meanwhile, SaveLIFE Foundation in a statement quoted Congress leader Shashi Tharoor as saying, “This government’s assurances regarding introducing comprehensive road safety legislation remain to be acted upon.”

“As an Indian MP and chairman of the Parliame-ntary Standing Committee on external affairs, I am dismayed at how poorly we fare on road safety by global standards, which also dents our country’s image worldwide. While many other developing countries have taken swift action to bring down the number of deaths in road crashes, India still lags behind,” Mr Tharoor said.

Location: India, Delhi, New Delhi