In anticipation of heavy to very heavy rainfall, including isolated extremely heavy rain, in some areas of the state on September 23 and 24, the Odisha State Transport Authority (STA) has increased road safety measures. All Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) have been put on high alert and instructed to control, reroute, or halt vehicle movement on areas made unsafe by flooding, waterlogging, landslides, or poor visibility in accordance with the directives of Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena and the guidelines of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC).
During a video call with RTOs, Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur instructed staff to stay in constant communication with police, district administrations, road-owning agencies, and other emergency services during inclement weather. RTOs have been requested to keep an eye on low-lying regions, submerged crossings, bridges, culverts, underpasses, ghat roads, landslide-prone sections, and alternate routes during nighttime traffic.
Vehicles will not be permitted to pass through areas where there is a risk from flowing or submerged water. Only until the road-owning agency and police approve the route as safe will traffic be halted or rerouted in cooperation with the appropriate authorities. Additionally, RTOs have been instructed to operate control rooms throughout the warning period and notify transportation associations, bus operators, terminals, the media, and official communication channels of route-specific advisories on closures, diversions, safe halting points, and movement restrictions.