PUNE: Eminent citizens, industrialists, bureaucrats, parliamentarians and survivors of road accidents, grouping under an informal coalition called Road Safety Network, have sent an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on making road safety a national priority.Prominent among the 70 signatories to the letter are noted astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar , economist Vijay Kelkar, Thermax chairperson Meher Pudumjee, Rajya Sabha MP Anu Aga and actors Mohan Agashe and Naseeruddin Shah The letter calls upon the government to strengthen road safety laws, pointing out that annually over 1.5 lakh people lose their lives in accidents while another 5 lakh people are seriously injured.The letter also asks the government to ensure the passage of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill, 2017 during the upcoming Parliament session. The bill seeks to strengthen laws regarding road safety."Road safety shows no sign of improvement despite the matter being closely monitored by the Supreme Court. While the minister for road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari , has often made a personal commitment to the issue of road safety, the ministry has failed to push the bill through Parliament where it first faced roadblocks in the Lok Sabha and now the Rajya Sabha. The country will also miss the goal of reducing road traffic injury and death by 50% by 2020, set in the Brasilia Declaration to which India is a signatory," the letter states.Road Safety Network has been formed by four organisations - Parisar, CUTS International, Consumer Voice and CAG (Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group). The letter, which has been issued by Parisar on behalf of the network, was sent to the Prime Minister over email on Sunday while a hard copy was delivered on Monday.Speaking to TOI, Ranjit Gadgil of Parisar said, "The Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill is pending in the Rajya Sabha for long. The government must get this bill passed in the coming parliamentary session. For that, they need to make road safety a priority."

Stay updated with all the Pune Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.