Open house: Put preventive measures in place to minimise risks

Cold weather calls for due precautions

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Due to fog, many accidents take place. The poor visibility causes mishaps, resulting in injuries and deaths. That is why, we should be careful in fog. When the fog is dense, we should always try to drive vehicles slowly. Fog lights should always be kept switched on. The government should extend the timings of all schools and government offices till the time the fog reduces and it becomes easier to commute on the road. Lights should be installed on roads so that it become easier to find the way at night. Helmets should be worn while riding a scooter or motorcycle all the time. The Sarpanch of the area where the people do not have a place to stay should help make arrangements for the people to stay so that they don't have to face any trouble in the cold. We should try to provide shelter to the homeless by collecting some money so that they can avoid cold and related diseases.

Subhkarman Randhawa

Provide reflectors, lights and shelter

In order to prevent road accidents, the authorities concerned should take the foremost step of keeping streetlights switched on during dense fog. The commuters should exercise speed control on their vehicles and avoid driving during dense fog. A shelter for the homeless should be provided by the government and NGOs. Voluntary organisations too should be encouraged to provide good home facilities. Last, but not the least, use of reflectors on roads and vehicles will prevent accidents during this foggy season.

Sanjay Chawla

 Provide help to needy persons in winter

Safety saves, drive within the speed limit, avoid rash driving, rash overtaking and follow traffic signals when the atmosphere is engulfed in dense fog. Every year during the winter season, snowfall takes place on mountain peaks which brings extreme cold wave in the plains along with dense fog. Safety and security of human lives is in the hands of the driver of the vehicle. The drivers of four-wheelers should use fog lights while driving at a visible speed during the day as well as night. While it is normal for long distance trains to get late due to foggy conditions, the timings of buses should be changed for reaching their destination in view of the weather conditions. The slogan, 'Speed thrills but kills', is written on the side of the national highways. The maximum speed limit prescribed on the roads should not be accepted if there is dense fog. The speed limits should be followed keeping in mind the visibility of the vehicle moving in front of you. There are a number of homeless who light a fire around which they sleep. They do not have homes. During bitter cold, these homeless should be shifted to shelters or under the flyovers temporarily or in government school rooms when there are winter holidays so that the poor who cannot get a shelter home can be adjusted during the bitter cold. The district administration should come forward for distributing woollen clothes, allocate funds from the Red Cross or Natural Disaster Relief Funds. All families that have surplus woollen clothes should distribute them to the needy. Similarly, social organisations should come forward for distributing blankets to the needy and poor families. Charity begins at home and all the rich people should come to the help of the needy families by distributing woollen clothes. The district administration should install temporary fire-places at various points so that the homeless can get relief from the heat of the wood to keep them safe from the bitter cold.

Rajat Kumar Mohindru

Foggy conditions impact road safety

Winter fog has been an old foe of the administration in Punjab every year in terms of life-threatening incidents, as well as the safety of the homeless. Even before the onset of Covid, fog was one of the most formidable reasons for road accidents in Punjab and is an ever-growing problem. On an average, there are 14 fatalities each day, resulting from accidents caused by foggy conditions. When examining the yearly data from 2014 to 2021, it is evident that the year 2017 recorded the highest incidence of both accidents and deaths, with a total of 1,244 mishaps, leading to 866 deaths. The following year, 2018, saw a similarly alarming trend, with 1,177 accidents and a total of 912 lives lost due to fog-related incidents. The data underscores the significant impact that fog can have on road safety and highlights the urgent need for improved measures to protect individuals during such hazardous weather conditions. In addition to this, in 2022, fog and mist were responsible for at least 872 traffic accidents in which 712 individuals lost their lives, and an additional 512 were injured, according to a groundbreaking study conducted by the Punjab Road Safety and Traffic Research Centre (PRSTRC). Extreme weather poses a significant threat to individuals experiencing homelessness. Searing heat, biting cold, torrential rain and fierce winds; the homeless are vulnerable to the treachery of weather conditions. This exposure doesn't just make survival more challenging but also severely deteriorates both the mental and physical health of the affected people. The toll of this relentless exposure can escalate into life-threatening situations, highlighting the urgent need for protection and support for those who are most vulnerable in the face of severe weather. It is crystal clear that now this issue requires special assistance and attention to make the year 2025 a less fog-affected year. Some steps and precautionary guidelines to be implemented by the government for the general masses can be like building shelters in parks and other open spaces for the homeless to reside in and add a layer of thermal heating cloth and reflectors on the outside of the shelters. This will make shelters more accessible and comfortable for all the poor people of Punjab. Secondly, an emergency force should be assembled comprising some emergency responders to spot and escort the homeless to a nearby safety shelter. Along with this, a helpline number ought to be made public so that people can report and alert the authorities about any homeless individual they see on the streets, facilitating their assistance by emergency services. All vehicles should be surrounded by temporary reflectors provided by the government. People should use these reflectors when there is a chance of high smoke and low visibility. This can avoid many crashes and accidents as people will now be able to see all the traffic even through the thick fog.

Lakshit Jindal

Manage risks in cold weather conditions

These are the months of intense winter in northern parts of the country. The mercury is dipping every day in Punjab and its adjoining states. This extreme weather is causing inconvenience to the public in many ways, mainly because of dense fog and biting cold, especially during the night. A number of accidents take place due to poor visibility on roads, caused by foggy conditions. The routine curriculum is severely impacted, making life miserable for the daily wage earners and the poor with no permanent shelter. Raen-Baseras (temporary shelters) arranged in cities to provide relief to the needy are neither adequate nor properly looked after. The lack of sanitation facilities or bad maintenance due to the apathy of officials turns them into a breeding ground for many ailments. Several homeless people are forced to spend nights in the open at railway platforms or in abandoned slums to protect themselves from the biting chill. There are cases where wrong-doers hooked to drugs or involved in other nefarious activities deliberately avoid shelter homes for fear of being traced and caught. Urgent action is needed to curb this menace by initiating precautionary steps against such elements. Apart from this, another issue is the faulty or non-functional street lights at most places which causes a lot of inconvenience to commuters as the traffic indicators and roads-markers, intended to facilitate safe movement, are not visible. Further, police patrolling and municipal staff do not remain alert to help the affected during inclement weather like showers and chilly winds. Therefore, the officials of health department, municipal authorities and police personnel shall have to be more careful for mitigation of such hazards effectively. Religious bodies, NGOs and the magnanimous, who always play a significant role in any kind of adversity, may be actively involved to manage the cold-wave risks. Alongside, the public should also be more careful while using roads and other services to avert any mishap during unfavourable conditions. In short, concerted efforts by the government authorities, volunteers and public are desirable to ensure that nobody loses life for want of shelter, food or timely care under the vagaries of intense cold.

Nirmaljit Singh Chatrath

Provide temporary housing, clothes

Severe winter and dense fog bring so many problems for the commuters and homeless people. The fear of accidents increases due to dense fog. The state government can arrange lights on the roads so that the drivers of vehicles can see the vehicles and escape the accidents. During the foggy days, the speed of the vehicles should be limited. The state government can take the help of Sadak Surakhya Force and appoint new employees on the main roads to check the speed of vehicles and accidents on these foggy days. Severe winter can be very dangerous for the homeless because they have no house to live in nor warm clothes to wear. The state government can make temporary houses for the homeless and provide warm clothes to cover their bodies. For this purpose, the common people can also give warm clothes to them so that the homeless can save their lives from the severe cold.

Sucha Singh Sagar

Smooth traffic biggest challenge

Both the administration and the people need to be fully prepared to face the prevailing extreme cold weather conditions. Most challenging is ensuring smooth traffic movement during dense fog and low visibility for which some extra precautionary measures are urgently required for security and safety of the commuters. For drivers, it is pertinent to install and use specified fog lights and limit their speed while driving during foggy conditions. The traffic authorities must ensure that this specific requirement is strictly complied with while ensuring compliance with all the basic traffic rules. The defaulters have to be punished as per rules. A comprehensive public awareness campaign on all available platforms such as electronic, print and social media should be consistently launched to make aware the drivers in particular and the public in general. Further, during these harsh cold weather conditions, the administration should also make suitable arrangements for temporary accommodations to give shelter to the homeless and needy people. Besides, food should also be arranged for the needy in collaboration with NGOs engaged in such charitable work. The administration must also make the people aware of such arrangements so that the needy and destitute could avail of such facilities.

Jagdish Chander

Homeless need care in adverse weather

Winter poses a significant challenge for the homeless. It is the duty of the government to take protective measures for their well-being. It should arrange temporary shelters at places like the community centre to provide them with warm and safe space. Portable tents could be set up for them. So many under-construction buildings are there, they can take shelter in those places and the under-bridge area can be used. Provide them with warmers and blankets and if possible, sleeping bags. Medical facility should be available 24×7 to save them from cold-related illnesses. Vaccination and flu shots should be given to everyone to prevent respiratory infections. So much food is wasted in hotels and other religious institutions, just arrange to distribute it among them. Wood can be provided for lighting bonfires but it is not safe for environment and also for them. All NGOs, social service organisations and mohalla committees should stay united to save the homeless from chilly weather. NGOs are already giving away warmers and blankets to them but some are getting so many and others are getting none. There should be planning and collaboration for better results.

Shashi Kiran

Question for next week

After the recent Municipal Corporation elections, what are residents’ expectations from the newly elected civic body House regarding the pending development works in the city?

Suggestions in not more than 200 words can be sent to amritsardesk@tribunemail.com by Thursday (January 9)