Chandigarh, January 25
Today lead Agency on Road Safety, Punjab state road safety council and National Highway Authority of India organized a one-day workshop on the topic “Improvement of Black Spots and Their Impact on Road Accidents and Fatalities” to reduce road accidents and fatalities.
The workshop was held at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration, Sector 26, Chandigarh, in connection with the National Road Safety Month 2025. The focus was on improving accident-prone black spots and assessing their impact on road accidents and fatalities. The workshop was conducted under the leadership of the Lead Agency, Punjab State Road Safety Council, in collaboration with the Transport Department, Punjab, and other stakeholders, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), PWD (B&R), Local Government Department, Punjab Mandi Board, and Punjab Traffic Police.
Additional Chief Secretary of Transport, Mr. D.K. Tiwari, stated that under the able leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and the guidance of Transport Minister S. Laljit Singh Bhullar, special efforts will be made regarding road safety. He emphasized that the primary objective of the workshop is to discuss and address critical issues related to road safety. These deliberations will play a crucial role in shaping future strategies to enhance road safety standards and reduce road hazards. He also commended the role of the Road Safety Force and encouraged officials from various departments to adopt well-coordinated measures to minimize road accidents, especially during foggy weather conditions, and to discourage underage driving.
Director General of the Lead Agency for Road Safety, Mr. R. Venkata Ratnam, pointed out that the number of fatalities due to road accidents in the state is alarmingly high, with 14 deaths occurring daily. He urged road-related agencies, including NHAI, PWD, Punjab Mandi Board, and the Local Government Department, to put in more efforts to rectify black spots on roads and properly evaluate their impact to reduce fatalities. He also directed police and transport department officials to strictly enforce traffic rules to prevent accidents and save lives. Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of accurately documenting road accident data to facilitate better planning and ensure optimal utilization of government funds allocated for accident prevention.
Additional Director General of Police (Traffic), Mr. A.S. Rai, highlighted the performance of the Road Safety Force and stated that due to the effective operations of the force over the past 11 months, there has been a significant decline in road accidents and fatalities in Punjab, which is a testament to the efforts of the current Punjab government.
State Transport Commissioner Mr. Jaspreet Singh provided insights into various initiatives for road safety, such as special awareness campaigns for school and college students, the importance of wearing seat belts, scrapping of old vehicles, electronic surveillance-based challans in major cities, third-party insurance and pollution certificate checks, educating students on traffic rules through traffic parks, and simplifying the online learning license process.
Mr. Vipnesh Sharma, Regional Officer of NHAI, provided insights into road safety initiatives and shared details about efforts undertaken by the department to rectify black spots to reduce road accidents and save lives.
The workshop witnessed participation from senior officials of the Punjab Government and various associated agencies, along with key stakeholders. Experts elaborated on various safety measures and future action plans to reduce road accidents, improve road infrastructure, and raise public awareness.
