Govt orders monthly road safety reviews, CAG audit of safety funds | Hyderabad News
Hyderabad: The Telangana govt has issued comprehensive guidelines for the administration and monitoring of state and district road safety funds, making monthly meetings of district road safety committees mandatory and requiring all fund accounts to be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). The guidelines were issued through a GO in accordance with the directives of Union ministry of road transport and highways. Transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the measures were aimed at strengthening road safety, preventing accidents and reducing fatalities across the state.Under the new framework, the road safety cess collected under the Telangana Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Act, 2026, will be credited to the Telangana road safety non-lapsable fund. The statutory state road safety council, headed by the chief minister with the transport minister as vice-chairman, will oversee the fund’s administration and management.Govt has also decided to extend the online accounting system to all districts to improve transparency in the utilisation of road safety funds. The system will enable authorities to monitor receipts and expenditure in real time. Accounts maintained at both state and district levels will be subject to mandatory CAG audits. Details of the funds and their utilisation will also be uploaded to Union road transport ministry’s portal, making them accessible to the Supreme Court committee on road safety.Road safety plan“As part of the new framework, district collectors have been directed to immediately activate district road safety committees and ensure that they meet every month. Each district will have to appoint a road safety coordinator and submit a district road safety plan outlining the measures proposed to improve safety,” Ponnam said.The police, health, roads and buildings, and education departments, along with GHMC, have been asked to appoint nodal officers to coordinate road safety measures within their respective jurisdictions. Several departments and agencies will also be required to submit quarterly action-taken reports to the lead agency for road safety.The police, health, roads and buildings, and education departments, along with the GHMC, have been asked to appoint nodal officers to coordinate road safety measures within their respective jurisdictions. Several departments and agencies will also be required to submit quarterly action-taken reports to the lead agency for road safety. These include TG-TMARS, the roads and buildings department, public health department, panchayat raj department, NHAI, 108 emergency services provider EMRI, school and collegiate education departments, excise department and municipal administration. The reports are intended to help authorities track the implementation of road safety measures across departments and periodically review progress. The office of the additional director-general of police (road safety) will function under the state road safety council to improve coordination among the departments and agencies involved in road safety.Ponnam said the guidelines would establish a structured mechanism for managing road safety funds, monitoring their utilisation and coordinating interventions at state and district levels. Govt aims to use the framework to reduce road accidents and make roads safer for commuters across Telangana.
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