April 26 2016, 18.46 PM IST || Pocket News Alert
Chandigarh, 25th April 2016: Society for Automotive Fitness & Environment (SAFE), a SIAM initiative in association with Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Transport Department Government of Rajasthan& Rajasthan Police, Government of Rajasthan organised its annual convention today in Jaipur. The theme for this year's convention was “Safer & Cleaner Tomorrow: Traffic Planning and Technology”.
The convention aimed at addressing the rising concerns of environment related issues due to vehicular emissions and also the need for having proper engineering while constructing roads in India. According to India’s National Health Profile 2015, there were almost 3.5m reported cases of acute respiratory infection (ARI) last year, a 140,000 increase on the previous year and a 30% increase since 2010.
The inaugural session was addressed by Dr N Saravanan, President, SAFE along with Mr. Pawan Kumar Goyal, IAS, Principal Secretary and Commissioner, Transport Department, Government of Rajasthan, Mr. Manoj Bhat Director General of Police, Government of Rajasthan, Mr. AbhayDamle, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport, Shipping & Highways and Mr.Yunus Khan, Hon’ble Minister of Public Works & Transport, Rajasthan
Speaking at the convention, Dr N Saravanan, President, SAFE said,“We have been working for last 17 years towards creating awareness on road safety by organizing campaigns across the country. SAFE shall work with key stakeholders and motor training schools to further help improve the environment”
“A lot has been done by auto manufacturers in reducing road fatalities, it’s now time for NGO’s and the media to work jointly in educating and also alarming people towards safe driving. SIAM has a commendable job by promoting and supporting road safety education among school students” said Mr. AbhayDamle, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport, Shipping & Highways
Mr. Yunus Khan, Hon’ble Minister of Public Works & Transport, Rajasthan said “It is a positive sign that we have started to realize the importance of Road safety, nearly 1.38 lakh people died in 2014 due to road accidents. Automobile manufacturers should focus in setting up Motor Training Schools in different states to train drivers.” He also requested automobile manufacturers to focus on spreading road safety awareness by assisting government in setting up driver training institute and inspection & maintenance centers in their respective states with the help of their CSR funds. It will be useful to reduce road fatalities in the country.
The convention went on to hold two focussed sessions followed by a panel discussion which threw light on various aspects related to future projects undertaken by the Rajasthan government towards planning the traffic and infrastructure and also the role of technology in making roads safer and environment cleaner. The first session focussed on Steps taken towards Road Safety in Rajasthan highlighting the projects implemented and upcoming road map by Government of Rajasthan having presentations from Transport Department, Government of Rajasthan & Rajasthan Police, Government of Rajasthan.
The second session focused on Designing the Safer City with Traffic Planning. This comprised of insightful contributions MrRavishankar Rajaraman, Technical Director, JP Research India Pvt Ltd who gave an overview on “How Traffic Planning can reduce the accident incidences”. This session saw participation from Mr B S Yamgar, Dy. General Manager, Automotive Research Association of India, Mr Rohit Natekar, Assistant Vice President & Head of Sales, KPIT Technologies limited on Role of Technology in Safety and Cleaner environment who spoke largely on safety being a top priority and the need of traffic planning which will assist in safer and cleaner environment. The session closed with addresses on planning the traffic and infrastructure and also the role of technology in making roads safer and environment cleaner.
The final session comprised of a panel discussion moderated by Mr. K.K Gandhi, Executive Director SIAM, with experts in the area of Road Safety from Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Pondicherry and Gujarat. The panelists shared their thought on implementing action plan for Safety and cleaner environment.
About SAFE
In order to achieve advancement of Inspection and Certification (I&C) of vehicles and reduced emission from in-use vehicles as also increased safety on roads, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has incorporated an independent body, Society for Automotive Fitness & Environment (SAFE).
With memberships from Industry, Government, Testing Agencies, and NGOs, SAFE works to generate awareness among the various stakeholders regarding Inspection & Certification of in-use vehicles which would lead to safe vehicles and cleaner environment.
SAFE organizes Inspection clinics for in-use vehicles and training workshops for emission technicians in various parts of the country. These programmes are aimed to create awareness on the importance of regular maintenance among vehicle owners. It is one of the most effective ways to control emission levels from vehicles in the country. In addition SAFE organizes seminars with State Governments and other stakeholders.
SAFE has also undertaken several initiatives on Road Safety education of students, drivers and public at large. Through Road Safety Awareness Programmes, SAFE tries to apprise the community on traffic rules and also to inculcate correct and responsible attitude towards fellow road users.
SAFE is a catalyst in the automobile industry’s endeavour to fulfil its commitment towards a cleaner and safer environment and will continue to support and enhance the industry’s role as a responsible corporate citizen in the country.