DW BUREAU / Chandigarh Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, on Wednesday, directed all the road owning departments and agencies to complete the rectification work of all accidental black spots on state and national highways in the state at the earliest to reduce the mortality rate in road accidents. While reviewing the rectification work on black spots identified under phase-1 in the state at his official residence here, the minister informed that around 62 per cent of rectification work on black spots has been done so far. Expressing deep concern on remaining 149 accidental black spots out of total 391 under phase-1, he asked the Secretary Transport Vikas Garg to write letters to road owning departments and agencies for early completion of the work. The Minister informed that under Phase-1, a total 391 black were identified in 14 police districts of Punjab, of which rectification of 218 black spots out of total 267, has completed by NHAI with the cost of around Rs.600 crore so far, while progress for rectifying remaining 49 black spots was underway. Similarly, PWD (B&R) has rectified 18 accidental black spots out of total 84 black spots, while Local Government and other departments have rectified 20 black spots out of total 54 sites. During the meeting, Laljit Singh Bhullar released the book 'Accident Black Spot Identification and Rectification Program' on various Highways/Roads of Punjab-2021 by PUNBUS under phase-2, in which total 407 accidental black spots identified in 16 Police Districts of Punjab along with their respective administrative districts has been published for remedial actions. Bhullar further informed that NHAI has accepted 291 accidental black spots under phase-2, sent to them after identification by the state of Punjab, which would further pave the way for early rectification of these sites to reduce the mortality rate in road accidents in the state. He informed that a complete list of black spots i.e. 292 in number falling on National Highways in Punjab was submitted to Traffic Research Wing, Ministry of Transport and National Highways (MoRTH). Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwat Singh Mann took up the issue with Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari through a letter dated 22.04.2022. Besides this, Punjab Transport Secretary Vikas Garg and Director General, Lead Agency, Road Safety R. Venkat Ratnam have met both the Secretary MoRTH and chairperson NHAI at New Delhi to expedite the work relating to rectification of black spots in Punjab. (editor@dailyworld.in)