Adequate safety measures not in place at road construction sites in Pune, India

Date: 29/6/2012

Calls are being made for more to be done to ensure that proper safety measures are put in place before work starts on constructing roads in part of India.

According to a group of citizens who have joined together calling themselves Pedestrians First, better provision needs to be made in terms of safety, reports the Times of India.

The group is asking the Pune Municipal Corporation and traffic police authorities to put measures in place on roads where work is to be completed.

A number of road works are currently being carried out throughout the city, but Prashant Inamdar, Convenor of the group, argues that there is a certain amount of disregard for safety measures by the contractors involved.

The situation is set to become worse as the rainy season is about to start, with large quantities of rainfall further adding to safety concerns.

What the group is calling for are moves such as retro-reflective sign boards displayed prominently in order to warn drivers.

Further to this they would like to see physical barriers erected in order to prevent vehicles from falling into trenches which have been dug to carry out the works.

Red flashing lights would also help to warn drivers of any road works and the group has called for contractors to avoid spilling construction materials which could cause slippage or skidding and consequently accidents.

One group of road users which are particularly vulnerable while works are being carried out is pedestrians.

This is because it is a common occurrence for footpaths to get blocked and therefore sometimes people are forced to walk on the road with the traffic.

This is another situation which becomes worse once the rains come and it is not uncommon to see elderly people and children walking in the road in these conditions.

Mr Inamdar said: "It is imperative that the contractor should put up barricades adjacent to the dug up pits to create a safe, segregated and reasonably wide walkable path for pedestrians."

Assurances have been given by traffic officials that adoption of such safety techniques will be made mandatory for contractors working on roads in the Indian city.

Posted by Sarah Bailey

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