DW BUREAU / Chandigarh Giving the top priority to saving lives in road accidents in the state, the Punjab Government has decided to engage expert organizations, institutes, universities/colleges, NGOs and registered societies for assisting in road safety work. These institutions, said the Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, will be registered with any state government or union government and will assist in road safety works such as road safety audit, crash investigations, ambulance mapping, identification of accidental black spots, training of stakeholders and holding road safety awareness campaigns etc. in the State. The Cabinet Minister further said that the task to engage such institutions at the earliest has been entrusted upon the Punjab State Road Safety Council, which is the Lead Agency on Road Safety constituted as per the directions of Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety to undertake and oversee the implementation of various traffic management and road safety measures in Punjab. The eligible organizations will be empanelled for a period of two years and from time to time entrusted with the work relating to traffic management and road safety. These organizations will provide technical assistance to the lead agency and State government specifically in terms of devising an "Action Plan for Traffic Management and Road Safety in Punjab" and also to conduct "Awareness and Capacity Building of the Stakeholders of the road safety and traffic management on National Highways, State Highways and other Major District Roads in Punjab". He said that the Empanelled Organizations/Institutions are expected to guide and support the Lead Agency on Road Safety, Traffic Police and Transport Department to perform the tasks and deliver outputs, which are best suited to deliver outcomes for improved road safety management and road safety in Punjab, such as to develop material on road safety awareness such as posters, pamphlets, skits, video/audio content, etc., to conduct road safety education and awareness campaigns in association with District Road Safety Committees, development of information, education and communication material to conduct road users' behavior and surveys, to assist traffic enforcement, engineering and other concerned agencies to conduct road crash investigation as per approved SOP by the Centre/State under Motor Vehicle Act Section 135, to conduct Road Safety Audit as per IRC Guidelines on State Highways, Major District Roads and National Highways etc., identification and review of accidental Black Spots in Punjab, assistance to Lead Agency to analyze various road accident/traffic data or other available data and preparation of reports. (editor@dailyworld.in)