National Road Safety Month 2026: Barbil Awareness Rally Echoes Safety Slogans, Exposes Traffic Woes
Barbil, Kendujhar: As part of National Road Safety Month 2026, the Barbil Additional Transport Office organised a significant awareness program to promote safe driving and responsible traffic behaviour.
The event began with a welcome and awareness address by Additional Transport Officer Biswaranjan Sahu.
Champua Sub-Collector Umakant Parida attended as the chief guest, while other dignitaries included Barbil Tahsildar Rakesh Kumar Panda, SDPO Devendra Nath Pingua, Municipality Executive Officer Ramesh Chandra Naik, and IIC Ashok Kumar Nayak.
Local leaders such as BJP leader Chandragupt Prasad and MP Representative for Barbil Municipality Neelamani Mahanta also joined the program.
Hundreds of school students and NCC cadets participated in the awareness rally, carrying placards with road safety slogans. The rally was flagged off by Sub-Collector Umakant Parida and led by dignitaries.
Starting from the Transport Office, the rally passed through Kiriburu Chowk, Clock Tower, Atal Chowk, Main Road, Bata Chowk, Old Bus Stand Chowk, and Bypass Road, before returning to the Transport Office.
Police personnel were deployed at major junctions to ensure smooth traffic flow. The program concluded with refreshments for all participants.
Challenges Observed During the Rally
Despite the awareness drive, several traffic issues in Barbil came to light:
– Illegal parking on service roads.
– Street vendors encroaching on footpaths.
– Kiriburu Chowk traffic is managed with broken tin drums, highlighting poor infrastructure.
– Heavy vehicles are parked along the Bhadrasahi–Nalda main road.
– Rising cases of underage bikers speeding, triple riding, modified silencers, pressure horns, and unauthorised parking, causing inconvenience to commuters.
The National Road Safety Month 2026 rally in Barbil successfully spread awareness but also underscored the urgent need for stricter enforcement and infrastructural improvements.
The effectiveness of this campaign will depend on how the Transport Department and allied agencies address the city’s persistent traffic hazards in the coming days.
