U'khand: Almost 18 pc more accident-related deaths in first 5 months of this year compared to 2021

Uttarakhand has seen 659 road accidents in the first five months of this year, in which 409 people were killed and 594 injured.

The hill state has recorded a substantial rise in the number of road accidents and casualties in comparison to such incidents during the same period last year.

While the number of road accidents in the hill state this year rose by 14.61 per cent, deaths increased by 17.87 per cent and cases of injuries by 26.33 per cent, Chief Secretary S S Sandhu said.

Expressing concern, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has issued orders to take immediate and effective steps to stop such accidents, he said.

As the number of casualties in accidents occurring in the hilly areas is usually higher than in the plains, the chief secretary stressed on the immediate need to improve the condition of roads in the hills.

Construction of crash barriers along the roads, short- and long-term measures to improve the identified black spots, identification of accident prone stretches and their improvement in accordance with their degree of vulnerability to accidents should also be taken up on priority, Sandhu said.