‘Sadak Surakhya Force’: Punjab constitutes 5,000-man police force for road safety

Chandigarh, Aug 11 (IANS) In a significant decision aimed at saving the precious lives from road accidents, the Punjab government on Friday gave nod for constituting Sadak Surakhya Force (SSF) in the state that comprises 5,000 police personnel.

A decision to this effect was taken at the meeting of the Council of Ministers held here.

A spokesperson for the Chief Minister’s Office said the Cabinet gave its consent to launch this force as a plan for road safety for covering 5,500 km of state and national highways.

The Cabinet opined that Punjab has witnessed a significant increase in traffic and road infrastructure over the past few decades. The state has a 72,078-km-long road network, including the national and state highways, which constitute 5.64 per cent (4,025 km).

The Cabinet expressed concerns that 65 per cent of road fatalities take place on the national and state highways. In 2021, 4,476 lives were lost in 580 road accidents. Most of these fatal accidents take place between 6 pm and 12 am, when the presence of police on these roads is minimal.

As per the Cabinet, highway patrol routes have been identified based on the past years’ road accidents trends.

As many as 144 patrolling vehicles, fitted with specialized equipment to check drunken driving and over speeding, will be deployed on these routes, each covering a distance of 30 km. A sum of Rs 30 crore will be spent on purchase of vehicles and the equipment installed in them.

Around 5,000 police personnel will be deployed in Sadak Suraksha Force out of which around 1,200-1,500 police personnel will be immediately provided out of the newly recruited police personnel.

As a mark of respect to the great freedom fighters and national heroes, the Cabinet also gave consent to set up a martyrs memorial in a leading park of every district.

This memorial will have the names of the martyrs and great freedom fathers, from that respective district, who had sacrificed their lives during the freedom struggle so that their enormous contribution can be perpetuated to the younger generations.

The memorial will further inspire the coming generations for selfless service towards the country and its people.