Highway developer kicks off road safety campaign

Ashoka Buildon, one of India’s largest build-own-transfer-(BOT)based highway developers has kicked off a week-long  campaign for safety awareness at its toll plazas and project sites. Titled ‘Road Safety Begins with Me’ and focusing on asking commuters to follow basic safety rules while driving, the first phase will cover seven locations which includes Belgaum, Dharwad, Durg, Pune  Bhandara, Indore, and Nashik. 

Ashoka Buildcon has lined up activities which include safety message signages at toll plazas, hoardings and will issue toll tickets with such messages. Staff volunteers will urge commuters to drive safely. ‘Please wear your seatbelt’, ‘don’t drink and drive’, ‘Please respect speed limits’, ‘Please don’t talk on your cell phone while driving’, will be some of the messages during the campaign. The campaign also involves distribution of keychains especially designed for this purpose to commuters.

Ashish Katariya, COO Ashoka Buildcon says, ‘Safety is a collective responsibility and we are trying to encourage commuters to help us in reducing fatalities and accidents on highways. We are laying special stress on use of safety belts, because it is one of the simplest safety measures that can create a huge impact.

The company also hopes to have seminars at schools and villages in order to reach out to as many people as possible and spread the message of safety.

India has one of the world’s highest number of road accident related deaths. The issue of safety came into the limelight when union minister Gopinath Munde died following injuries sustained after a road accident. It is believed that wearing a safety belt could have saved his life.

Ashoka Buildcon has 28 BOT projects all over the country in states such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh , Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Orissa , Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Recently, the State Bank of India  SBI and Macquarie allocated Rs 800 crore in its road-construction subsidiary, Ashoka Concession.