Debate on Road Safety

Ludhiana, March 9, 2017: ASHA CHINH (Aaftaab Society of Hope and Aid to Children Needing Help) Welfare Society organised a students’ debate on “Increasing Road Accidents – Implementation Failure vs. Public dis-obedience” at Guru Nanak Engineering College, Ludhiana. A Road-safety awareness drive was also taken up during the event where students were tied wrist bands with Road Safety slogans and motivated to pledge to follow traffic rules.
More than hundred engineering students participated in the competition conducted in three rounds. Ten finalists expressed their views and concerns about the failure of implementing the traffic rules in the city and pointed out the deficiency of appropriate infrastructure for regulation of traffic and callous attitude of the traffic police personal who are more interested in making money rather than regulating the traffic. The other set of students pointed out that the responsibility lies with the public. The insensitivity of the public and disregard of the common traffic rules and symbols by the public si the major cause of the road accidents – drunken driving, using mobiles while driving, show-off of the big carsand road rage are the contributors from the public side to the accidents and traffic jams.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr.Rajinder Chawla, Chairman of ASHA CHINH, appealed to the students to drive safe and stay alive because ‘Life is never the same after an accident’ – loss of a life in an accident has tremendous devastating effect on the people connected with the person and the impact of such accidents had to be borne by whole of the family and a little carelessness on part of the youth while driving could ruin many families. He also encouraged them to come forward and involve themselves in road safety campaigns and to inculcate moral values in themselves and their peers. A number of students pledged to join the traffic awareness campaigns carried out by the society.
Assistant Commissioner of Traffic, Ludhiana Manpreet Singh was the chief guest at the occasion. He informed the students about the efforts of the traffic department Ludhiana to streamline the traffic. He said that a number of CCTV cameras are being installed at strategic positions in the city and we would be able to send the challans to the traffic offenders at their residence by courier.
Sarvpreet Singh was declared winner of the debate and Divya Noor and Kashish Arora scored 2nd and 3rd positions. ACP Traffic Manpreet Singh gave away the prizes to the winners. Cash awards of Rs 3000, Rs 2000 and Rs 500 were given to the winners.