Road Safety Awareness Programme Held at Agriculture College, Raipur

As part of the National Road Safety Month 2026, a road safety awareness lecture and open interaction programme were organised at the Swami Vivekananda Auditorium, Agriculture College, Raipur.

The programme was conducted jointly by the Traffic Police Raipur, the Agriculture College, and the National Service Scheme (NSS), Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya.

The event was organised in accordance with the directions of the Government of India, under which National Road Safety Month is being observed from January 1 to January 31, 2026.

The Chief Guest of the programme was Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre, former Supreme Court judge and Chairman of the Supreme Court Road Safety Committee, New Delhi.

Distinguished guests included Ms Fariha Alam Siddiqui, Joint Secretary, Education Department; Mr D. Ravishankar, Additional Transport Commissioner; Mr M. R. Ahire, Deputy Inspector General (Traffic); and Mr Sanjay Sharma, Assistant Inspector General (Traffic) and Chairman, Inter-Departmental Lead Agency for Road Safety, Chhattisgarh.

In his address, Justice Sapre stressed the importance of wearing helmets and seat belts and strictly avoiding mobile phone usage while driving.

He stated that road accidents are not acts of destiny but the result of human negligence and can be prevented through responsible behaviour. Through video presentations, he explained how helmets save lives and highlighted the deadly consequences of overspeeding, signal jumping, and violation of traffic rules.

Citing examples of Vietnam and Thailand, Justice Sapre noted that strict enforcement of traffic laws and compulsory helmet usage have significantly reduced road accidents in those countries.

He further informed that Chhattisgarh ranks 12th nationally in road accident cases, while Raipur recorded 618 road accident deaths in 2025, nearly 70 per cent involving two-wheeler riders. He appealed to students to wear helmets for their own safety, not merely to avoid police action.

During the programme, five Good Samaritans who assisted injured road accident victims were honoured. Certificates and mementoes were presented to Ms Nagina Ratre, Mr Mahesh Poddar, Mr Jagmohan Sahu, Mr Prafull Sahu, and Mr Gagendra Singh Rajput in recognition of their humanitarian efforts.

Ms Fariha Alam Siddiqui administered a Road Safety Pledge to students, NSS volunteers, and citizens, urging them to follow traffic rules diligently.

At the conclusion of the programme, Mr Sanjay Sharma, AIG Traffic, and Dr Aarti Guhe, Dean of the Agriculture College, expressed gratitude to the Chief Guest and dignitaries. Dr Guhe also appealed to students to ensure mandatory helmet usage before entering the college premises on two-wheelers.

The programme was attended by Mr Ashish Devangan (RTO Raipur), Mr Satish Kumar Thakur (DSP Traffic Raipur), Mr Pratik Shukla (ARTO Raipur), traffic police personnel, faculty members, NSS officers, a large number of students, and NSS volunteers.

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