Traffic policemen on duty should not stop with the role of being the symbol of the State’s authority but should realise their role as problem solvers and as those who are responsible for road safety and the well being of all road users, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said on Monday.
Inaugurating a seminar on road safety and urban traffic management organised by the Police department, Mr. Karunanidhi called for the involvement of the police personnel, while developing localised response to traffic problems.
Expressing concern over the increasing number of casualties in road accidents, he noted that 13 persons died in the accidents every hour in the country, which reported the highest rate of fatal cases in the world.
The Chief Minister wanted the themes of road safety and traffic management to be made part of the school curriculum. Children should be sensitised towards the aspects by developing a special package of games and leisure time activities. In traffic management, maximum importance should be given to road engineering aspects.
S.K. Chakrabarti, Chief Postmaster General of Tamil Nadu Circle, handed over to Mr. Karunanidhi, the first album of commemorative postage stamp on the Police department on the occasion of sesquicentennial celebration of the department. The Chief Minister also released a souvenir.
Chief Secretary K.S. Sripathi called for stricter enforcement of traffic rules and regulations to bring down the rate of accidents in the State. In 2006, the number of accidents was around 59,000. Till the end of October this year, it was 55,000.
The Chief PMG commended the Chief Minister for ensuring the release of the stamp in a shorter period than the normal.
Among those who attended the inauguration were Arcot N. Veeraswami, Electricity Minister, K.P. Jain, Director General of Police and Letika Saran, DGP (Training).
