LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has took a remarkable step of constituting Provincial Task Force For Road Safety to prevent road accidents in the province.
The Task Force will prepare a comprehensive plan of action for the prevention of traffic accidents and prompt steps will be taken to prevent the traffic accidents along with ensuring safety of the people in the light of recommendations to be put forth by the Task Force.
A necessary legislation will also be done in this regard and the Provincial Minister Raja Basharat will be the Head of the Task Force. Chief Secretary, Inspector General of Police, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), traffic officials and other officers will be members of the Task Force.CM accorded an approval to introduce electric mini carts in place of motorcycle
rickshaws.
Pervaiz Elahi presided over a meeting in which it was principally decided to promote environment friendly electric bikes to reduce pollution in the province. CM maintained that electric bikes and electric cars will be encouraged in the province adding that motorcycle rickshaws will be changed into golf cart vehicles in a phased manner. He revealed that a readable token sticker will be pasted on the vehicles after conducting their inspection and in case of the absence of readable inspection token the vehicle will immediately be put off-road.
The chief minister directed to pay special attention to the repair of roads and of government vehicles in order to reduce traffic accidents adding that the traffic police should adopt a zero tolerance policy on the matter of out of order vehicles headlights and indicators.
CM asserted that a strict legal action should be taken against the underage drivers. DG Rescue 1122 Service Dr. Rizwan Naseer apprised while giving a briefing that 10 persons die and many get injured in the traffic accidents on daily basis adding that after every 2 minutes a traffic accident takes place somewhere in Punjab.CM chaired a high level meeting in which steps being taken for the road safety came under review.
Chief Secretary Abdullah Sumbal, Principal Secretary to CM Muhammad Khan Bhatti, Inspector General of Police Faisal Shahkar, ACS (Home), Secretary Transport, senior officials of Traffic Police and the concerned officers attended the meeting.
