(a) whether the Gov;epunent has received any proposal for the formation of a National Road Safety
Board to coordinate, monitor and guide all road safety efforts in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the action taken by the Government thereon;
(d) whether any scheme is being contemplated to increase the number of subways or overbridges on
national highways passing through urban areas; and
(e) if so, the details thereof?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF SHIPPING, ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS ( SHRI K.H. MUNIYAPPA)
(a) Yes, Sir.
(b) Planning Commission had Set up a Working Group on Road Accidents, Injury Prevention and Control under
the Chairmanship of Shri Prakash Narain, former Chairman, Railway Board. One of the recommendations of the said
Working Group, which submitted its report in July 2001, pertained to Setting up of a National Road Safety Board.
(c) The matter. was examined in detail in consultation with Planning Commission and it was felt that if
at all a separate agency is to be created, the same has to necessarily consult this Ministry in all matters and,
therefore, from the point of synergy and to have benefit of holistic and integrated approach, such organization
should ideally exist within the Ministry itself.
Accordingly, an Inter Ministerial Group consisting of representatives of concerned Ministry and a
few State Govts was constituted to prepare a plan of action. The report of the said Group which was finalized
in December 2002 was subsequently endorsed by the National Road Safety Council in its 7th meeting held on 15.1.2004.
The need for formation of a separate National Road Safety Board has not been felt and instead a decision
taken to strengthen the existing machinery and programmes dealing with various issues related to road safety.
(d) &(e) The proposals for construction of Subways or Over-bridges on the National Highways, are taken up
based on the site requirement, traffic, inter-se-priority and availability of funds.