The Fact News Service
Ludhiana, July 16
The Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) for traffic and road safety, Amardeep Singh Rai, announced on Tuesday that the Punjab police will establish special sobriety checkpoints on national and state highways to address drunken driving, a leading cause of road accidents.
Following a meeting with traffic SPs, DSPs, and other officials, ADGP Rai mentioned that the Punjab police have ordered 800 new alcometers, which will be distributed across the districts. He emphasized that drunken driving is a major factor in road accidents, and the Punjab police will take strict action against individuals found driving under the influence of alcohol.
ADGP Rai also disclosed that on the directions of DGP Gaurav Yadav, 27 hi-tech interceptor vehicles are also being procured by the Punjab police to tackle over-speeding and reckless driving. He also addressed the issue of road accidents caused by stray cattle, stating that approximately 350 deaths are reported annually due to this problem. Various departments are actively working to resolve this issue, including the Municipal Corporations, animal husbandry, and others. Additionally, 900 e-challan machines have been provided to the districts under the recently launched system in Punjab.
These measures are expected to further reduce the number of road accidents in Punjab.
ADGP Rai highlighted the positive impact of deploying the Sadak Surakhya Force (SSF), a brainchild of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, which has resulted in a 15-20 percent decrease in road accident fatalities. On underage driving, the traffic wing of the district police will collaborate with school managements to educate students on legal provisions related to underage driving in the first phase. Strict action will be taken against underage drivers and their parents to address this issue in next phase.
