Punjab Cabinet approves dedicated force to curb road accidents

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 11

To reduce road fatalities, the Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday gave its nod for constituting Sadak Surakhya Force (SSF) in the state.

A spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said the Cabinet gave its consent to launch the force as a plan for road safety on 5,500 km of state and national highways. The Cabinet said Punjab had witnessed an increase in traffic and road infrastructure over the past few decades.

As many as 144 patrolling vehicles, fitted with specialised equipment, to check drunken driving and overspeeding will be deployed on these routes, each covering a distance of 30 km. An amount of Rs 30 crore will be spent to purchase the vehicles. Around 5,000 police personnel will be deployed in the Sadak Suraksha Force of which around 1,200–1,500 personnel will be immediately provided out of the newly recruited police personnel.

The Cabinet also gave its consent to set up a martyrs memorial in a park of every district. This memorial will have the names of the martyrs and freedom fathers from that district.

In a landmark initiative aimed at facilitating the NRIs landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, the Cabinet also gave approval to set up a “Facilitation Centre” at the arrival hall of international terminal. This centre will be manned 24x7 and will provide assistance to all NRIs and other passengers arriving at the terminal.

The passengers/relatives will be given assistance regarding arrival of flights, connecting flights, taxi services, lost luggage facilities and others at the airport. The centre will have tie-ups with taxi services available at reasonable rates.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to use artificial intelligence (AI) in improving the governance. The decision aims at making the state a frontrunner in the use of AI in governance and provide better services to the citizens. The AI can be helpful in reducing road accidents, checking tax evasion, improving health services and others.

The Punjab Cabinet also approved the Annual Administrative Report of the Police Department for the year 2019.

Special remission to 45 convicts on I-Day

• To commemorate the third phase of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the Cabinet also recommended the special remission to 45 convicts confined in jails across the state on Independence Day
• After the nod of the Cabinet under Article 163 of the Constitution, these special remission cases will be submitted to the Governor under Article 161 of the Constitution for consideration

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