Mumbai: After a gap of more than three years, Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Tuesday convened the State Road Safety Council meeting at Mantralaya, with the state recording more than 1.17 lakh road accidents and 50,488 fatalities since the council last met in April 2023.
Council Meeting Held After 1,267-Day Gap
The 13th meeting of the council was held 1,267 days after its previous meeting on April 3, 2023. Sarnaik directed officials from the police, public works and health departments to coordinate their efforts to reduce road accidents and fatalities, officials said.
The delay is significant as the Road Safety Council is required to meet at least twice a year under the prescribed rules. The council, constituted under Rule 215 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, is responsible for reviewing accident trends, identifying accident-prone locations, monitoring road safety measures and coordinating action among various departments.
State Recorded 1.17 Lakh Accidents Since Last Meeting
According to the state Transport Department, the council was established through a notification issued on May 13, 2015. Meetings were held regularly until 2019, but its functioning subsequently slowed. Only four meetings were held between 2019 and the April 2023 meeting, taking the total to 12.
Since the council last met in April 2023, Maharashtra has recorded 1,17,070 road accidents, resulting in 50,488 deaths, 73,423 serious injuries and 27,198 minor injuries till June 2026, according to Transport Department data.
The prolonged gap continued even after the present Mahayuti government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis came to power in December 2024. Sarnaik took charge of the Transport Department on December 24, 2024, but Tuesday’s meeting came 638 days after he assumed the portfolio.
During this period, the state recorded 49,157 road accidents and 20,890 deaths till June 2026. Another 32,161 people suffered serious injuries, while 11,220 sustained minor injuries, official data showed.
The figures also highlight the scale of the road safety challenge facing the state. In the first three months of 2026 alone, Maharashtra reported 9,259 road accidents and 3,858 fatalities.
The council’s role is to bring departments dealing with roads, policing, transport and healthcare on one platform and ensure that road safety measures are followed up. Tuesday’s meeting therefore comes at a time when the state is facing mounting pressure to address accident-prone roads, enforcement gaps and the rising number of fatalities.
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