Srinagar: Governor Satya Pal Malik flagged off a new motorcycle squad of Traffic Police, launched to ensure better compliance of road safety measures by the commuters.
An official Spokesperson said here that during the financial year 2018-19, Rs 567.92 lakh from the Road Safety Fund was spent on procurement of Road Safety Equipment, which inter-alia, included Laser Speed Cameras with Automatic Number Plate Recognition, Combined Pollution under Control Equipment, Speed Radar Guns with Laser Camera and Hill Recovery Cranes.
The amount was further spent on procuring 110 Motor Cycles for Motor Vehicle and Traffic Departments for increasing mobility of enforcing agency, also to curb traffic violations and ensure road safety for all.
Appreciating the initiative of Transport Department, the Governor observed that the Departments associated with ensuring road safety should formulate good practices for ensuring safety of people on the roads and extend full support of the administration in all their endeavours, in this direction.
The Governor emphasised the vital importance of following traffic rules and road safety measures for reducing the increasing incidents of road accidents.
He observed that strict action should be taken against the violators of traffic rules and only trained persons should be allowed to ply vehicles on the roads. He noted that many accidents take place due to untrained drivers and because of their carelessness many innocent lives are lost.
Mr Malik stressed that officials entrusted with the responsibility of controlling traffic should strictly monitor two wheeler drivers who drive dangerously without any regards for the traffic rules and asked to make good quality helmets mandatory for its drivers.
The Governor stressed the importance of educating people particularly youth to generate awareness for following all road safety regulations.
Advisor Skandan lauded the initiative and stressed the need for bringing reforms in road safety management and informed that the government has devised an effective Action Plan for ensuring safety on roads and soon people will see the results of government’s efforts in this direction.
BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary, highlighted various steps taken by the government in the domain of traffic management, like constitution of the Jammu and Kashmir Road Safety Fund, which is utilised for meeting expenditures on Road Safety.
He advised setting up of sufficient signages along the highways and launching awareness campaigns for reducing the incidence of serious road accidents especially among the school students.
The students belonging to various road safety clubs in Kashmir had an informative interactive session with the dignitaries, wherein they were apprised about the upcoming Trauma centres all along the highways and
incorporation of chapters on road safety in state Board school books, so as to generate awareness among the youth.
They were also apprised about the finalisation of corridors for Light Rail Transit System for cities of Srinagar and Jammu, with the aim to decongest the present roads.
This post was published on June 19, 2019