A view of damaged bus and truck after collision near Thehri Bypass in Khairpur. PHOTO: APP
Federal Ombudsman Salman Faruqui has asked the communication ministry to form a national steering committee to improve road safety regulations across the country in the first week of June.
The development came after the first meeting of Systemic Reforms Committee (SRC) of road safety, which was constituted on the recommendations of the federal ombudsman after the tragic accident of Khairpur (Sindh) in which 57 passengers were killed due to a bus-truck collision in 2014.
The ombudsman asked the ministry to submit a detailed report in the first week of June so issues with regard to road safety could be resolved. He took notice of Khairpur’s incident and constituted a three-member committee to probe the incident.
A senior official of the ombudsman secretariat told The Express Tribune that the first meeting of SRC was held on Saturday which is supposed to implement the recommendations of the committee.
Sharing details, the official said that the communication ministry is directed to take onboard the relevant departments including the National Highways Authority (NHA), National Highways & Motorway Police Excise and Taxation department, Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority and industries and production.
All the relevant departments are directed to sit together to review the Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1961 and National Highways Safety Ordinance, 2000 which are outdated, explained the official, who is part of the meeting.
He said that during the meeting it was informed that NHA did not make its fresh rules as only National Highways Safety Ordinance, 2000, is being exercised, which caused the non- implementation of road safety issues in the country.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 1st, 2016.
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