Rectify all black spots to make roads safe in dist, DC tells depts
The district administration has asked the departments concerned to immediately begin work to rectify all black spots identified in the district to make roads safe and save previous lives being lost at these killer spots.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Jitendra Jorwal has issued directions to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Municipal Corporation (MC), traffic police and all others concerned to promptly eliminate all black spots marked on the roads in the district.
This came close on the heels of 18 new black spots having been identified within the limits of the Ludhiana Commissionerate Police, which were reported in these columns on January 23.
With 71 old accident-prone spots, the tally of black spots has gone up to 89, which was the highest count in any commissionerate or district in the state. However, six old black spots have been eliminated in the Commissionerate Police limits during the past two years.
With this, Ludhiana continues to carry the dubious distinction of being the “most accident-prone” city in the state.
Chairing a meeting with heads of various departments, including SDMs, RTO and officers from the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate as well as Khanna and Ludhiana rural police districts, the Deputy Commissioner instructed the officials to begin work in their respective jurisdictions to eliminate permanently all black spots to ensure safe passage for commuters and save previous lives being lost at the killer stretches.
Besides, Jorwal also directed the traffic police to introduce one-way traffic system, prohibit parking and restrict vehicle stoppages during the opening and closing hours of major schools in the city near their vicinities. He urged the schools to make adequate parking arrangements to prevent traffic jams outside their premises. He instructed the police to enforce the directions and act sternly against violators with challans and fines, as per law.
He mandated all schools to submit a self-declaration, confirming compliance with the ‘Safe School Vahan’ policy, regardless of whether they have outsourced transport services. “The schools are required to provide details of vehicle owners and necessary documentation to the administration,” the DC instructed while emphasising that the safety of students was a priority and any negligence or excuse will not be tolerated. “Schools must strictly implement the policy to avoid administrative action,” he asserted.
The Deputy Commissioner urged the school managements to educate parents about ensuring safety of their children and to report any use of unsafe transportation methods. “Appropriate action will be taken by the authorities when necessary,” he warned.
Jorwal also addressed the issue of traffic congestion at Cheema Chowk, Gill Chowk, Samrala Chowk, Sahnewal Chowk, Kohara Chowk and Vishwakarma Chowk, directing the traffic police to implement necessary measures to ease commuting at these busy junctions in the city.
He called for collaboration among the Transport, Police, Education, Municipal Corporation and other departments to conduct maximum awareness activities. He also instructed the SDMs to organise road safety awareness initiatives within their jurisdictions.
Jorwal also urged the public to fulfil their responsibilities by following traffic rules and cooperating with the road safety efforts.
Pertinently, a study on the identification and rectification of accident black spots in the state conducted by the Punjab Road Safety and Traffic Research Centre (PRSTRC) with the help of the Punjab Police had revealed that a total of 678 accident black spots have been identified across 28 police districts/ commissionerate areas of Punjab.
During the previous study between 2019 and 2021, the road safety evaluation within the Ludhiana Commissionerate Police limits had identified a total of 77 road accident black spots, of which only six were eliminated before the latest study.
The old black spots encompassed 52 recurring or existing black spots with a documented history of accidents resulting in fatalities or severe injuries, along with 25 newly identified black spots, where a sudden surge in accidents occurred during the previous study.
Notably, the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate district stands out with one of the highest numbers of accident black spots in the region.
The newly identified 18 black spots included seven on national highways, one on state highway, two on major district roads and eight on MC/urban roads within the Ludhiana CP limits.
The old black spots that existed included 54 on national highways, eight on state highways, one on major district roads, two on other district roads and six were located on MC/urban roads.
What is black spot
According to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the road accident black spot on National Highway is a road stretch of about 500 meter in length in which either five road accidents, involving fatalities or grievous injuries, have taken place or 10 fatalities have been reported during the past three calendar years.
Punjab had adopted this definition for the entire state, covering all highways, and had undertaken the task of identification and rectification of accidental black spots in the state on the directions of the then Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan in April 2021 with an aim to making state roads safer and smoother for driving.
Recommendation
The report stressed the need that the Commissionerate Police and the departments concerned require taking up special engineering improvement and enforcement emphasis in nearly all police stations that have the majority of black spots coming under their belt.
