Officials for identifying black spots to check mishaps in Amritsar

Expressing concern over the sharp rise in the number of road mishaps, officials attending the road safety meeting held here on Wednesday laid stress on identifying black spots and accident-prone areas in order to check rising road accidents and fatalities due to fog.

The meeting was chaired by Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and MC Commissioner Gupreet Singh Aulakh also attended the meeting.

Desraj, Joint Director of the Traffic Cell, Punjab Police, said as many as 6,289 road accidents were reported from across the state in 2023, in which 4,829 people lost their lives and 2,318 were seriously injured. “Unfortunately, 70 per cent of the victims were between 18 and 45 years,” he said. “In order to reduce road accidents in the city, there is also a need to identify accident-prone areas and reasons behind the same,” he added.

He laid emphasis on the need to mark the Zebra crossings and ensure strict compliance of traffic norms.

With dense fog engulfing the region for the past few days and severely affecting visibility and raising the chances of road mishaps, DC Sakshi Sawhney directed the MC officials to replace the damaged street lights on the roads in the city and install maximum reflectors. She said speed-breakers should also be constructed in the city as required. She directed the MC to create more parking spaces for local residents.

The DC asked officials of the NHAI, the Public Works Department, the Mandi Board and the civic body to ensure adequate arrangements on roads in view of bad weather conditions. She appealed to the Commissioner of Police to streamline the autos and e-rickshaws plying in the city so that the normal traffic is not disrupted.

Bhullar said around 299 traffic personnel have been deputed to control traffic rush. He said since January 1 this year, 43,639 challans have been issued by the traffic police. He appealed to the residents of the city to cooperate with the police. He asked them to mind the road clearance while parking their vehicles and drive slowly in the city. “At present, we have opened the lane earmarked for the BRTS project for two wheelers and emergency vehicles.

MC Commissioner Aulakh said currently, 1,874 CCTV cameras are working and 85 thousand lights have been installed in the city and a report has also been sought to increase them as per requirement.