Punjab Assembly members cutting across party affiliations today took serious concern over rising number of death in road accidents, prompting Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to promise definite steps to curb mishaps in the immediate future.
Responding to Congress MLA Charanjit Singh Channi motion to draw the government's attention towards the "increase" in accidents due to "improper implementation" of traffic rules, Sukhbir assured the House that the "priority" of his government is to take certain measures in the next two years so that the accident rate could be brought down drastically.
"We will conduct a case study on the reasons behind road accidents in the past ten years," he said, adding that "after this remedial measures will be taken forthwith."
Welcoming suggestions put forward by members of the opposition bench to minimise road accidents, the Deputy Chief Minister said the state government would honour those people from January 26 next year at the district levels who will bring victims of accidents to hospitals.
He also said the state government would introduce study on traffic rules and sports activities by students as compulsory subjects at the school level.
He said the state government is in touch with leading industrial house Hindujas to start a training school where some 10,000 drivers could be trained.
Welcoming suggestions by the opposition that political parties be barred from pasting posters on road signages, he said, "If anyone found guilty of pasting posters on signages a case will be registered against the person."
Noting four-laning of roads can curb accidents, Badal said the state government would spend a sum of Rs 11,000 crore in the next three years for this purpose.
Earlier, Channi pointed out that "more people have died in the state due to accidents as compared to those killed during the militancy period." Congress member Warring Raja Amarinder Singh drew the attention of the House towards harassment faced by those who help accident victims.
CLP leader Sunil Kumar Jakhar demanded removal of liquor vends along the road sides. On an average over 3000 people lose their lives in road accidents in Punjab in a single year.
