Odisha Unveils Zero-Fatality Corridor Plan to Reduce Road Accident Deaths Across State

07 Aug 2026, 13:16 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

The Odisha government has drawn up an ambitious road safety roadmap that combines infrastructure upgrades, emergency response improvements and targeted policy interventions after official figures revealed that 18,364 people were killed in road accidents across the state between 2023 and 2025.

As part of the plan, authorities will first identify and upgrade some of the state’s most accident-prone road stretches into “zero-fatality corridors”, with pilot projects set to pave the way for wider implementation across Odisha. Officials have already begun conducting road safety audits to identify vulnerable sections on Public Works Department (PWD) roads and National Highways where the initiative will be launched.

Beyond upgrading road stretches, the government is preparing a statewide map of accident blackspots, where corrective measures will be taken under the 2026-27 Annual Road Safety Programme. Major junctions and intersections will also be redesigned in line with Indian Roads Congress (IRC) standards to improve traffic movement and reduce the risk of collisions.

The infrastructure overhaul will include engineering interventions aimed at making roads more crash-resilient. Planned measures include creating obstacle-free clear zones, installing crash barriers, replacing rigid utility poles with breakaway structures, improving road curves and introducing other design features intended to lessen the severity of crashes and enhance the safety of motorists.

Recognising that survival often depends on the first few minutes after an accident, the government is also looking to strengthen post-crash emergency care. The proposal includes mandatory highway patrolling and the strategic deployment of ambulances along high-risk routes to ensure faster response times and quicker access to medical treatment for road accident victims.

The initiative extends beyond highways. Separate policies focused on pedestrian safety and the development of wayside amenities are also under preparation, while the state is exploring collaborations with technical institutions to integrate national and international best practices into road engineering, traffic management and road safety planning.

To ensure the programme can be replicated across Odisha, the government plans to organise regional workshops in Berhampur, Rourkela, Sambalpur and Cuttack after the pilot phase. The workshops are expected to facilitate the exchange of implementation strategies before the model is rolled out on a larger scale across the state.