Rajasthan Chief Secretary V. Srinivas on Thursday, 2 July chaired a high-level review meeting at the Government Secretariat, Jaipur, to examine the circumstances of the fatal accident on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Dausa district. Describing the tragedy as a wake-up call, Srinivas ordered sweeping corrective measures across departments to prevent a repeat.

Key Directives from the Review Meeting

The Chief Secretary directed a thorough investigation into every dimension of the accident — covering the sequence of events, the condition of the bus and trailer involved, vehicle registration, fitness certificates, insurance status, pending challans, and the backgrounds of vehicle owners and drivers. Officials were also asked to examine the bus body structure, fire safety aspects, the cause of the blaze, and the status of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) inquiry.

Srinivas reviewed CCTV and PTZ camera footage from the accident site, scrutinising trailer visibility, lane discipline, night-time visibility, reflector tape usage, lighting, route indicators, and signage at the trumpet interchange for compliance with Indian Roads Congress (IRC) standards. He ordered the installation of large, clearly visible signboards at adequate distances before curves on all national highways.

Emergency Response Under the Scanner

A detailed review of post-accident rescue and relief operations assessed response times of police, the NHAI control centre, ambulances, fire services, and other emergency agencies. The Chief Secretary examined how quickly damaged vehicles were cleared, how soon the injured reached hospitals, and the availability of trauma care facilities.

'The loss of precious lives in road accidents is unacceptable. Our objective should be to continuously reduce accidents and fatalities and work towards the goal of zero road deaths,' Srinivas said.

To strengthen emergency medical care, he directed that Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances deployed on national highways be upgraded to Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances in a phased manner, enabling critical care at the accident site itself. He also called for a comprehensive action plan ensuring trauma centres, fire tenders, cranes, and other emergency resources are available at scientifically determined intervals along highways.

Highway Safety and Enforcement Measures

The Chief Secretary ordered a statewide special campaign to remove encroachments along national highways. District Collectors, in their capacity as chairpersons of District Road Safety Task Forces, were instructed to regularly monitor highways, identify encroachments and illegal parking points, and ensure time-bound corrective action.

The Transport Department was directed to launch a special drive ensuring all heavy and commercial vehicles on national and state highways are fitted with mandatory reflector tapes, with strict enforcement action — including challans — against violators. Preventive action was also ordered against vehicles with a high number of pending challans on the Vahan portal. Transport authorities were further directed to hold regular meetings with transport unions and bus operators to enforce road safety compliance.

What Comes Next

The multi-agency investigation is being conducted in coordination with transport authorities of other states. Lighting improvements at identified black spots and vulnerable stretches are expected to be fast-tracked. With ALS ambulance upgrades, encroachment drives, and enhanced signage all ordered simultaneously, the pace of implementation across Rajasthan's highway network will be closely watched in the weeks ahead.