Rajya Sabha member Sanjeev Arora along with Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma, ADCP Gurpreet Kaur Purewal, Municipal Commissioner Aditya Dachalwal, Punjab Road Safety Council member Rahul Verma and Advisor to Punjab Government Navdeep Asija held a joint press conference at Circuit House on Monday to discuss the burning issues related to traffic in Ludhiana.
During the press conference, M.P. Arora released a booklet titled “Road Accident Black-Spot Improvement Plan for Ludhiana Municipal Corporation Roads”, which has been published by Municipal Corporation Ludhiana in collaboration with Punjab Road Safety and Traffic Research Centre, SAS Nagar. Punjab Road Safety Council member Rahul Verma presented the highlights of the report which gave valuable suggestions to remove traffic bottlenecks and smoothen the flow of vehicles across the city. Advisor to Punjab Government Navdeep Asija also gave another presentation.
The presentation identified a total of 12 road accident black spots in Ludhiana. These include: UPSC Jain Charitable Hospital; Bobby Palace to Shingar Cinema; Sethi Ice Cream T-Point, Metro Road; Punjab National Bank; Itta Wala Chowk; Vishwakarma Chowk; Durga Mata Mandir; Jagraon Bridge; Jai Mata Chintpurni Dhaba to Bharat Petrol Pump; State Bank of India to Pavilion Mall; Police Line, Deep Nagar; and Sabzi Mandi Chowk. These locations have been identified as high-risk areas based on accident data and will be prioritized for corrective action.
Arora and the officials were also informed through the presentation that due to coordinated efforts of the police and civil administration, there has been a reduction in road accident-related deaths in Ludhiana. While 403 deaths were recorded in 2023, the number came down to 377 in 2024, indicating progress in traffic safety initiatives.
Addressing reporters, Arora thanked Commissioner Swapan Sharma and ADCP Gurpreet Kaur Purewal for their efforts to reduce traffic congestion and enhance road safety. He said that while many steps have already been taken, more measures will be implemented in the future. He stressed that accident prone areas are being proactively addressed so that the chances of fatalities can be reduced.
Arora further informed that 140 additional traffic police personnel have been deployed across the city, especially near educational institutions during the vacation period. He appealed to the people to cooperate with the traffic police and follow all traffic rules. He said that if every citizen acts responsibly, road accidents can be reduced to a great extent.
Responding to media queries, Arora said that a foot overbridge will be constructed near the general bus stand to deal with congestion in the area. He also announced that two-way vehicular traffic on the elevated road from Hero Bakery Chowk to Pakhowal Road – which was started temporarily on public demand – will now be made permanent after the success of the trial run.
