Dhanbad, Aug 23: In a bid to bring down rising road accidents, the Dhanbad district administration has decided to launch a strict “No Helmet, No Petrol” campaign. Under this initiative, two-wheeler riders without helmets will be denied fuel at petrol pumps across the district.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the District Road Safety Committee, chaired by Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Magistrate Aditya Ranjan. Officials also announced that those breaking roadside barriers to create illegal cuts will face FIRs and strict legal action. Further, individuals constructing houses along the National Highway (NH) will now have to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the NH authority before MAP approvals from MADA.
Presenting the data, the District Transport Officer informed that between January and July 2025, the district recorded 236 road accidents, including 135 fatal cases and 76 incidents of grievous injuries. Overspeeding accounted for nearly half of these mishaps, while other causes included wrong-side driving, rash overtaking, low visibility, drink-and-drive, underage driving, and mobile phone usage while driving.
The committee expressed serious concern and resolved to adopt stricter enforcement.
Public representatives raised key issues:
MP Dhulu Mahto urged action against stray cattle and sought expansion of underpasses and new overbridges.
MLA Mathura Prasad Mahto (Tundi) pressed for action against underage drivers, drainage at waterlogged spots, and removal of encroachments.
MLA Raj Sinha (Dhanbad) called for speed control, organized parking near busy areas, construction of a foot overbridge, and development of vacant lands.
MLA Arup Chatterjee (Nirsa) demanded measures to tackle waterlogging, removal of encroachments near schools and highways, and stricter checks on heavy vehicles driven by minors.
MLA Chandra Dev Mahto (Sindri) raised concerns about poorly constructed roadside drains leading to frequent accidents.
Other decisions included identifying black spots, installing barricades at major junctions, removing unused roadside structures, and clearing debris left by different agencies.
The meeting was attended by MP Dhulu Mahto, MLAs of Tundi, Dhanbad, Nirsa and Sindri constituencies, DFO Vikas Paliwal, Municipal Commissioner Raviraj Sharma, City SP Ritwik Srivastava, ADM (Law & Order) Hema Prasad, SDO Rajesh Kumar, DTO Diwakar C. Dwivedi, Traffic DSP Arvind Kumar Singh, and senior officials of NHAI, Railways, BCCL, ECL, PHED and other departments.
The administration underlined that road safety will remain a top priority and warned that repeated violations will invite immediate action.
