E-Paper
Punjab CM Mann launches ‘Sadak Surakhya Force’ to check road mishaps
The CM said the force will have 144 vehicles and 5,000 employees who will be deployed on the roads every 30 km; Mann said all officers had played a key role in the constitution of this force.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday flagged off 144 hi-tech vehicles of the specialised ‘Sadak Surakhya Force’ (SSF) to streamline traffic movement and check road accidents in the state.
In his address at the PAP ground on Saturday, the chief minister said with the launch of the specialised force, Punjab has become the first state to launch this ambitious scheme to save the precious lives of people. He said road fatalities can be reduced by around 3,000 annually.
Mann said all officers had played a key role in the constitution of this force.
“It will go a long way in saving the lives of people and streamlining the traffic movement. The idea for forming this force has not come overnight but it has been a result of gross introspection of this serious problem,” the CM said.
Mann said as an MP, he had vehemently raised the issue of road accidents in Lok Sabha too. “More than 500 people die every month and in a year, nearly 6,000 people die (in road accidents),” he added.
The chief minister went on to cite the names of various personalities, including former President Giani Zail Singh, Congress leader Rajesh Pilot and actor and comedian Jaspal Bhatti, who died in road accidents.
Mann said the force will have 144 vehicles and 5,000 employees who will be deployed on the roads every 30 km to protect people
“The SSF will be instrumental in saving the lives of common man. From now onwards, the data of every month will be analysed to judge the working of SSF and data will be shared with the people after every month,” he said.
The chief minister said points will also be kept for the driving licences so that in the coming times, repeat offenders are punished by cancelling their licences.
The CM apprised that it is a matter of immense pride that many girls are joining the force and 90 drivers of the SSF vehicles are girls.
He opined that Punjab has witnessed a significant increase in traffic over the past few decades. Mann expressed concern that 65% of the road fatalities take place on the national and state highways, adding that most of these fatal accidents take place between 6 pm and 12 pm, when the presence of police on these roads is minimal.
He said police personnel who have been imparted quality training are being deployed in SSF. Mann said training was imparted at Kapurthala adding that this force will be pivotal to check the fatality rate due to road accidents in the state on one hand and to streamline the movement of traffic on the roads of the state on the other.
The force will be entrusted with checking rash driving and streamlining vehicular movement on roads and others. These vehicles will also have a complete medical kit for providing first-aid treatment to any person.
Mann said that the force will be duly connected with trauma centres to ensure that people get required medical help on time.
