Jalandhar, Jan 27 : Aiming to reduce road fatalities by around 3,000 annually, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday flagged off 129 hi-tech vehicles as part of the country's first-of-its-kind 'Sadak Surakhya Force' (SSF).

Addressing a gathering here, the Chief Minister said this is a historic occasion as Punjab has become the first state to launch this ambitious scheme to save the precious lives of the people.

He said all the officers have played key roles in constituting this force, adding that the move would go a long way in saving the lives of people and streamlining the traffic movement.

The Chief Minister said the idea for forming this force did not come overnight, and it has been a result of gross introspection of this serious problem.

Mann said that as an MP, he had raised the issue of road accidents in the Lok Sabha.

"Since then, it was in my mind that a force should be formed to save the lives of people, and today the dream has come true," he said.

The Chief Minister also said that with the constitution of this force, the police will be able to discharge their duties far more effectively, adding that the vehicles which have been roped in for the force are one of the finest across the world.

Mann said the SSF will be instrumental in saving the lives of the common man and from now onwards, the data of every month will be analysed to judge the working of the SSF. The data will also be shared with the people after every month.

Mann said it is matter of pride and satisfaction that a large number of women are joining the force and 90 drivers of the SSF vehicles are women.

The Chief Minister said this force has been launched as a plan for road safety for covering 5,500 km of state and national highways.

Mann also said that 65 per cent of road fatalities take place on the national and state highways, adding that most of these fatal accidents occur between 6 p.m. and 12 midnight.

The Chief Minister also said that 129 patrolling vehicles, fitted with specialised equipment to check drunken driving and over-speeding, will be deployed on certain designated routes, each covering a distance of 30 km.

/IANS