Patiala : Patiala deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal on Wednesday directed departments to take coordinated, time-bound measures to ease traffic congestion and improve road safety, with action-taken reports on two major bottlenecks to be submitted within two weeks.




Chairing a district road safety committee meeting, Aggarwal ordered officials to identify and rectify accident-prone black spots . He later inspected Badungar-Khalsa College road and congestion near Manipal Hospital and DAV School on Bhupindra road .




To tackle traffic snarls outside Khalsa College , the DC sought principal Dharminder Singh Ubha’s cooperation in ensuring systematic parking of students’ vehicles. He directed the municipal corporation to tile the unpaved roadside area, mark a yellow line to prevent haphazard parking and remove roadside food vendors and other obstructions.




Aggarwal asked traffic police to act against unruly elements, issue challans for violations and monitor outsiders gathering near the college to make social media reels or undertake similar activities. Legal action should be taken where necessary, he said, adding that surprise inspections could be conducted in coordination with the senior superintendent of police (SSP).




On Bhupindra road, he directed authorities to address congestion and unauthorised parking outside DAV School and near Manipal Hospital. The institutions were asked to coordinate with traffic police and the municipal corporation. Authorities were instructed to designate the area as a no-parking zone and remove encroachments.




Officials were also told to conduct a two-week trial of one-way traffic outside DAV School from 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm during dispersal hours.




Reviewing school transport safety, Aggarwal ordered strict enforcement of the Safe School Vehicle Policy and compliance with prescribed norms. However, buses carrying children should not be stopped for checks, he said.




The DC directed all SDMs to inspect roads in urban and village areas under their subdivisions, identify accident-prone stretches and ensure timely repairs. Accountability will be fixed on the department or agency concerned if negligence caused an accident, he added.