[sustran] Police to dedicate Guru Nanak’s 550th birth year to pedestrian safety

[Asija, Navdeep]

TNN | Nov 18, 2018, CHANDIGARH: Page 8
Sanjeev Verma

As a tribute to Guru Nanak Dev Punjab Police are going to campaign for
pedestrian safety and ensure the right to walk during the year-long
celebrations of his 550th birth anniversary.
The state police are going to carry out a study, starting from Amritsar, to
make road crossings safe and pedestrian friendly, to promote cycling, to
encourage point-to-point cycling and to know as to where authorities can
come up with pedestrian tracks. The study will also focus on the aspect as
to how to cater to various safety issues while designing roads and to
improve the existing infrastructure.
Amritsar-based Guru Nanak Dev University’s Guru Ram Dass School of Planning
is helping the state police in carrying out a study to improve pedestrian
safety. The first meeting on the project between the state government as
well as planning school’s officials was held on November 16 in Amritsar.
The campaign holds significance as more than 1,100 pedestrian deaths were
reported last year on various roads in Punjab. Suresh Arora, DGP, told TOI
that the state police would create awareness among masses through seminars
and awareness camps towards creating respect for pedestrians and their
safety. “We will do inter-departmental coordination to improve their safety
through better infrastructure, especially in urban areas,” he added.
“Pedestrian safety is very important as 30% of the people who are killed on
roads are pedestrians,” said ADGP (traffic) Sharad Satya Chauhan. He added
majority of these victims are from poor sections of society. “Police
department is also taking up the issue with the state government to declare
Guru Nanak’s birthday as Pedestrian Day since he himself was a great
walker,” said Chauhan. This project is the brainchild of Punjab traffic
adviser Navdeep Asija as well as the ADGP (traffic). Asija said that by not
confining it to Punjab, he would request the state government to take this
matter with the UN, with the help of central government through diplomatic
channels, to dedicate one day as ‘International Day of Pedestrian’.
Punjab and Haryana high court has already issued directions to the Punjab
government, along with Haryana and Chandigarh authorities, to create
car-free zones in each city to promote walking zones. Cities like Shimla,
Gangtok, and Leh and also Sector 17, Chandigarh, have got such walking
zones.
Also, the World Health Organisation’s report says by 2025, in India alone
there will be 161% rise in diabetic patients, especially in urban areas,
and walking is considered as the best exercise to control diabetes.
‘Tandrust Punjab’ mission director Kahan Singh Pannu said, “Under ‘Tandrust
Mission’ also, our sports and youth affairs department is going to motivate
youth clubs in villages to come up with walking clubs to inculcate the
habit of walking among villagers.”
He added 550 indigenous fruit and other plants would be planted in every
village of the state. These will be provided by the forest department.
Plantation will start from February next year to end with Guru Nanak’s
550th birth anniversary.

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