By Raghuram Sharma
It is quite heart-warming to see India finally waking up from its road safety slumber. The Road Safety Week held during February 4-10 was certainly an apt wake-up call. A country ill-famed for its high rate of road accident deaths taking up the issue in all its seriousness is inevitable and appreciable.
The Car Carrier Association & Secretary, Regional Transport Authority, Gurugram, chipped in this countrywide mega event enthusiastically, voluntarily and without an iota of doubt that Road Safety is paramount for their organisations, vehicles, the valuable cargo that they ferry, the drivers and all other road users. All the members of the association, under the able leadership of Mr. Vipul Nanda, President of the Car Carrier Association, decided to organize a mega event on February 9, 2019, involving their drivers, the fulcrum of road safety.
The sprawling complex of Tau Devilal Stadium at Gurugram, Haryana, was chosen as the venue. Whenever we talk of driver interaction ranging from their social upliftment to road safety the one obvious name that flashes in mind is that of TransportMitra. It is an organisation which has steadfastly been doing work for the Hunar, Suraksha and Swasthya of the Highway Drivers since its inception in 2015. And aptly so the CCA decided to entrust the event to them. Here is a case where outsourcing never meant abdication of responsibility by the association, but on the contrary, the enthusiasm level among the members was worth an example.
Volvo Eicher, Indian Oil Corporation and CEAT Tyres were the sponsor companies, besides the members of the Car Carrier Association, namely, IVC, Chetak, R. Sai, Mercurio Pallia, Skyline, ARL, STPL, RDG Group and TR Finished Vehicles, which were the co-sponsors of the event.
The Joint Secretaries of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Mr. Abhay Damle and Mr. Priyank Bharti, were the chief guests of the event. The Haryana Government dignitaries who graced the event were Mr. RK Singh, Addl DC, Mr. Rajesh Kumar, IPS DCP Manesar, Mr. K. Singhal of IVC, Mr. Gagandeep Singh, VP Sales, Mr. Mandeep Khera, Head, Corporate Sales, Volvo Eicher, Mr. Ashok Ramnani, GM, IOC, and Saket Kher, GM (Sales), NR, were the luminaries present on the dais.
Besides the guests on the dais, the most prominent invitees for the event were our driver friends who turned up in large numbers for the event. Despite the chilly weather, the drivers started trooping in much before the scheduled time at the venue. Men in blue, the TransportMitra team, were freely mixing with them passing pleasantries and clicking photographs. Soon the chairs got filled. Surrounding the dais were the giant trailer trucks of the various CCA member-companies.
The guests on the podium were greeted with flower bouquets amid applauds from the gathering. The function was declared open by the chief guest and other dignitaries by lighting the traditional lamp. Patriotism was in its full flow in singing the National Anthem by one and all.
Ten Commandments as fondly called by the event managers, TransportMitra, are the most crucial safety mantras for Road safety. The chief guest administered the oath to the drivers and all other road users present. This was the first step towards awakening them towards road safety. Subsequently all the dignitaries and the drivers signed the Safety Pledge Wall to ascertain their commitment for Road Safety.
It was a sight to see the release of ceremonial tri-colour balloons by the guests and the drivers to spread the Road Safety message across.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Guest, Mr. Priyank Bharti, IAS, JS (MoRTH), commended the ten commandments and said that the whole road safety gamut is covered especially for the highway drivers. He also assured of all possible steps from the Ministry to mitigate road accidents. Mr. RK Singh was short and forthright in his message to the drivers.
Hella India Lighting, with its passion-driven team for the cause of Road Safety, certainly conveyed an effective message to the audience. Those present on the venue formed a human chain while the Sadak Suraksha song was being played in the backdrop. The dynamic Managing Director, Mr. Ramashankar Pandey, conveyed the safety message in an impromptu speech and exhorted the drivers to follow road safety rules in their own interest and in the interest of the fellow road users.
Nukkad Nataks are a forceful media of sending socially relevant messages across the masses in a simple but forceful manner. Creation Action Drama Group presented a skit emphasizing the ill-effects of drunk driving, non-wearing of helmets and over-speeding. It was well applauded by the driver fraternity.
The event organisers did thoughtfully plan for the lunch for the 600-odd guests, the main constituents being the highway drivers.
Post lunch, a bunch of young professional dancers enthralled the audience with their performance and also taught the driver guests a few dancing steps which were supposed to relieve long haul driving fatigue. Now was the turn of the drivers to showcase their dancing talent on stage. The enthusiasm, the josh, the supreme verve and flexibility displayed in their participation was worth a watch.
The Car Carrier Association arranged give-aways for the drivers. Also, Volvo Eicher familiarised the drivers with their brand-new Pro series Prime Movers 6040 and 5040 vehicles and gave the assembled drivers gifts. On the other corner of the venue, right from the start, a health clinic for eye and ear test was organised where the drivers were not only examined but also free eye-glasses were given.
Hats off to the Car Carrier Association for organising such a mega event in association with the Secretary, Regional Transport Authority, Gurugram, with active on ground support from TransportMitra. It instilled a sense of safety in the sepoys of the highways, bringing an awakening amongst the most vital section of the transport industry.