Specialised traffic patrol unit to be rolled out soon in Punjab
Jupinderjit Singh
Chandigarh, September 3
A specialised traffic patrolling unit, called the ‘Sadak Surakhya Force’ (SSF), is set to be rolled out in the state this month, with the Punjab Police already having identified 1,500 men from the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) Battalion to be transferred to the new unit.
Features of patrol vehicle
- Will accelerate from 0 to 80 km/h within 20 seconds
- High intensity red and blue blinkers with light bar mounted on top of vehicle
- Portable Variable Message Sign for display of warning
The personnel in the force will have a distinct uniform and will be given specialised training. The government has initiated fresh recruitment and purchased customised vehicles for the patrolling.
62 patrol vehicles (over 15 years old) to be part of fleet
82 new vehicles part of the fleet
144 Total no. of patrol vehicles
119 SUVs, including new ISUZUs
ADGP (Traffic) AS Rai said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has laid down a road map for the purpose and wants the state to have a modern traffic patrolling unit.
The need for setting up a dedicated unit is justified by the fact that as many as 12 precious lives are lost in road accidents in the state daily. At least another six persons suffer injuries, including permanent handicap.
With barely 2048 cops in the Traffic wing — which translates to mere 6.5 cops per one lakh persons in the state — Punjab has so far struggled to check road fatalities.
An alarming 85% of fatalities occur within a critical 6,000 km stretch comprising national highways, state highways and major district roads. Nearly half of these accidents occur between 6 pm and 12 am, when the highways are inadequately supervised due to a lower presence of the Traffic police.
The SSF personnel will be equipped with new Isuzu SUVs for patrolling and Mahindra Scorpio SUVs for high-speed interception on highways.
“SSF teams, each comprising three personnel in a rapid response vehicle, will be stationed 30 km apart and assigned specific areas for patrolling. We have identified the routes, highways, as well as patrolling sectors,” ADGP AS Rai said.
