Police, administration start fresh audit on accident-prone spots in Chandigarh

Traffic police data shows since 2017, one out of every three fatal accident took place at a demarcated black spot

A fresh audit is being conducted in the city in the wake of the amended Motor Vehicle Act coming into force, and officials of the traffic police, Chandigarh administration and transport department are in the process of making a new list of black spots in the city.

A black spot is defined as a stretch of 500 metres in which over the past three years at least five fatal accidents have taken place, or 10 fatalities. These will only be demarcated on the national highways. (HT PHOTO)

Cabinet minister Nitin Gadkari has started a 14,000-crore pan India project to identify black spots and rectify them at par with the Tamil Nadu government model. Also, under Section 198A (2) of the Amended Motor Vehicle Act, if faulty engineering on part of the contractor leads to death or disability, a fine of up to ₹1 lakh can be imposed on the contractor by the court.

A black spot is defined as a stretch of 500 metres in which over the past three years at least five fatal accidents have taken place, or 10 fatalities. These will only be demarcated on the national highways.

SIGNAGE WILL BE PUT UP

Officials of the Chandigarh administration confirmed that they are working on drafting a list. “We have already identified two spots in the eastern division of the city, at Poultry Chowk and Hallomajra light point that qualify under the criteria. A special signage will be put up here, warning commuters that this is an accident prone area. The signage will be round and red, advising motorists to be cautious. Rumble strips will also be painted on the road here to alert the drivers,” officials said, adding that the signage will be put up within a week.

UT chief engineer Mukesh Anand said the administration has already worked on improving Badheri Chowk and the Sector 25/38 West light point, two of the most accident prone areas in the city. He said constructing a flyover will also reduce the number of accidents at Tribune Chowk, where many accidents have taken place due to the volume of traffic.

11 SPOTS IDENTIFIED IN 2018

The traffic police had already identified 11 black spots for 2018, but senior police officials confirmed that the list was being reworked under the new criteria and the number of black spots in the city will come down as per the new criteria. Deputy superintendent of police (DSP, road safety) Jaswinder Singh confirmed that the traffic police had sent a report to the administration with the accident prone areas in the city along with their suggestions for improving them.

Senior officials of the transport department said the list is being made but it will take some time to finalise. Secretary transport Ajay Kumar Singla said their emphasis right now was on the implementation of the increased fines.

As per traffic police data, since 2017, one out of every three fatal accidents has taken place at a black spot that they had demarcated.