Chandigarh, January 21:
In line with Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s vision to leverage technology for safer roads and better traffic management, Punjab Police and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Wednesday held a high-level coordination meeting to strengthen collaboration on highway safety and enforcement.
The meeting, chaired by Special Director General of Police (Special DGP) Traffic and Road Safety Punjab AS Rai and NHAI Regional Officer Chandigarh Rakesh Kumar, focused on the effective utilisation of Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) on existing and upcoming highway corridors, including the newly commissioned Kurali-Kharar-Mohali Bypass.
Sharing details, Special DGP AS Rai said that both agencies discussed integrating enforcement protocols with ATMS data for real-time monitoring, automatic violation detection, and coordinated incident response.
The agencies agreed to upgrade Traffic Aid Posts at key toll plazas and strategic non-toll locations to enhance roadside visibility and public assistance, he said, while, adding that a seamless operational linkage between SSF units and NHAI teams will ensure rapid response across major corridors.
During the meeting, integration of emergency helplines 1033 and 112 was also reviewed to unify incident escalation for ambulance services, recovery vans, and Highway Patrol deployment, thereby reducing duplication of resources. Congestion issues near Chandigarh and Rajpura were examined, with NHAI committing to improvements within 2–3 months. Regular identification and evaluation of black spots will be conducted jointly, supported by data analytics from PRSTRC as the research wing of Punjab Police.
Special DGP AS Rai affirmed full support to NHAI, stating, “We will work together so that the best safety and security services are delivered to the state’s commuters.”
RO Chandigarh Rakesh Kumar emphasised the value of joined-up action, stating, “Engineering will be more effective if supported by enforcement for road safety and traffic management. Punjab is a leader in the country, and we are working jointly to improve this further to save every precious life.”
Among those present were Traffic Advisor to Government of Punjab Dr Navdeep Asija; Project Director PIU-Chandigarh Aashim Bansal; and DSP Traffic & Road Safety Ganesh Kumar.
