Mumbai: Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Tuesday directed officials to integrate the state-run 108 ambulance service and private ambulances on a digital platform to ensure that the nearest available ambulance reaches road accident victims without delay.
The proposal was discussed at the 13th meeting of the State Road Safety Council, chaired by Sarnaik at Mantralaya, where he laid stress on quick emergency medical response during the ‘golden hour’, an official release said.
The meeting was held after a gap of more than three years, though the council is required to meet twice a year.
It was attended by Public Health Minister Prakash Abitkar, Public Works Minister Shivendra Raje Bhosale, the Transport Department’s Additional Chief Secretary, the Transport Commissioner and senior officials.
Sarnaik also suggested that ambulances should be equipped with cameras and telecommunication facilities, allowing doctors at hospitals to monitor patients and guide treatment during transportation, the release said.
The minister also called for a policy on air ambulance services for the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway, other expressways, coastal roads and remote areas.
Sarnaik also directed officials to ensure effective implementation of the ‘PM-Rahat’ scheme, under which accident victims are eligible for cashless treatment of up to Rs 1.5 lakh per person for a maximum of seven days.
A pilot project using electronic ‘weigh-in-motion’ sensors to detect overloaded vehicles was proposed at the meeting. It also discussed remote-sensing technology to check pollution from moving vehicles and integration of pollution-under-control certificates with vehicle and e-challan systems.
Road accident deaths in Maharashtra declined by six per cent during January-July 2026 compared with the corresponding period last year, despite an increase in the number of vehicles, according to the release.
In 2025, two-wheeler riders accounted for 60 per cent of road accident deaths in the state, while pedestrians accounted for 22 per cent, the meeting was told.
Eleven Maharashtra districts have been included in the ‘Zero Fatality District’ initiative being implemented in 100 critical districts across the country in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and SaveLIFE Foundation.
These districts are Nashik Rural, Pune Rural, Ahilyanagar, Solapur Rural, Jalgaon, Satara, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Rural, Beed, Nagpur Rural, Kolhapur and Dhule, the release said.
