Hoshiarpur: In view of the increased risk of road accidents due to fog in the district, the district administration has become fully active. On Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain held a meeting with officials from various departments at the district administrative complex to review compliance with the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Based on the directives issued by the Director General, Lead Agency Road Safety, road safety issues were discussed extensively in the meeting.
The Deputy Commissioner stated that the likelihood of road accidents increases manifold due to reduced visibility during foggy weather. Therefore, it is essential for the concerned departments to work with greater vigilance and coordination. She issued department-wise guidelines on important issues such as clearing unwanted vegetation on roadsides, dangerous roadside obstructions, non-functional traffic lights, safety of school buses, railway crossings, safety of under-construction roads, availability of emergency services, and visibility of barricades.
She directed that roadside cleaning and maintenance of road slopes, etc., be completed expeditiously with the assistance of MNREGA workforce. All inactive traffic lights should be immediately activated, while retro-reflective tape, warning indicators, and safety signs should be installed in dangerous areas. Warning signs and diversion boards, as per IRC standards, must be installed on roads under construction.
Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain directed the Education Department, Transport Department, and Traffic Police to conduct joint inspections regarding the safety of school buses and ensure compliance with the "Safe School Vehicle Policy." Clear instructions were also issued to prevent unauthorized parking of trucks on highways, control stray animals, increase surveillance on crop residue burning, and deploy police at accident-prone black spots. She also urged that weather conditions be taken into account before permitting large religious and social events during foggy days.
The Deputy Commissioner stated that road safety is the administration's top priority. He directed all departments to strictly follow the High Court's directives and work diligently to ensure the safety of citizens during foggy weather.
During this, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Amarbir Kaur, SP Manpreet Singhmar, RTO Amandeep Kaur, DDPO Sandeep Singh, Executive Public Works Department Gurmeet Singh, ARTO Sandeep Bharti and officers of other departments were also present.