Underscoring the urgent need to ensure implementation ofRoad Safety protocols on mission mode, the Punjab Transport Minister AmarinderSingh Raja Warring on Sunday said every life lost in accidents is a loss forthe entire nation.
Let us all today on the Children's Day vow to make ourstate safest for our Children and let us start it with roads, Warring saidmaking an emotional appeal to citizens to adopt traffic compliance into theirday to day behaviour.
Launching the statewide Road Safety Campaign 'No-ChallanDay' from here earlier in the morning on the occasion of Children's Day,Warring while expressing deep concern over average high rate of road fatalitiesin the state directed the department to ensure strictest implementation of lowand safe speed limits within school areas to ensure safety of children.
A concerted approach where in everyone acts as an activestakeholder is required to ensure we emerge victorious in our mission to avoidaccidents and save lives, he said.
Administering the Road Safety Pledge to violators at theBMC Chowk here, the Minister while urging them to obey traffic rules also gavethem new helmets and badges to wear and spread the message of traffic rulesawareness.
Punjab loses 10-12 precious lives everyday in roadcrashes which is a serious cause of concern, Warring said adding it would behighly regrettable if we don't act now to ensure a safe road environemnt forour kids the collective onus of which falls on all of us. It starts with youand me at home and from our schools to make our Children vigilant about trafficrules, he said adding that need to inculcate respect for obeying traffic rulesis paramount today.
Warring, who after taking over the department in the lastweek of September, has been aggressively initiating measures to strengthen efficiency of the state transportundertakings PRTC and Punjab Roadways besides streamlining the working of RTAsin the field.
The unique initiative launched today at 100 locationsacross Punjab, is a part of Decade for Road Safety campaign, and is aimed atfostering a sense of responsibility amongst commuters by making the Mission amass movement. We will be holding this initiative twice a month to ensure wedon't lag behind in drilling a sense of regularity and discipline amongst ourroad users exosiaclly our youngsters, the Minister said.
Lauding the Department for making continuous efforts toachieve greater traffic literacy, Warring asked them to continue working withsame vigour and excitement in future as well.
The carefully designed Campaign was simultaneouslyorganised at 100 locations across the state in active collaboration with PoliceDepartment, Punjab Youth Congress, National Students' Union of India (NSUI)Punjab, NSS, Mahila Congress besides Civil Society and NGOs taking active part indisseminating traffic and road awareness amongst commuters. Traffic violatorswere adminsitered a pledge instead of beign issued a challan between 10 AM to12 Noon to sensitise them towards their own safety and of others travelling onthe road.
Earlier, the Transport Minister before reaching inspectedMoga Bus Stand as part of the departement's fortnightly drive to improve andsustain safety and sanitation protocols at all bus stands across the state.
Prominent amongst those present on the occasion includedJoint Commissioner Police Sandeep Kumar Malik, Secretary RTA Jalandhar AmitMahajan, ADCP Traffic Manjit Kaur ,and Angad dutta district president youthCongress.