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Road accident deaths in Punjab drop 48% after Sadak Surakhya Force rollout: CM Mann

Other states keen to replicate Punjab’s road safety model as Patiala-Sirhind stretch sheds ‘killer road’ tag

2 min readJan 25, 2026 09:35 PM IST

Since its launch in February last year, the force has reduced road accident deaths by 48 per cent and has also ensured the safe return of valuables and cash belonging to accident victims, he said. (Representative Image)

Punjab has recorded a sharp improvement in road safety outcomes following the constitution of the Sadak Surakhya Force, with road accident deaths in the state declining by 48 per cent, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said on Sunday. He said the turnaround was driven by faster emergency response, immediate first aid and timely hospital treatment, helping Punjab move away from its earlier position among the country’s top three states for road accident fatalities.

Mann said several states had approached the Punjab government to replicate the Sadak Surakhya Force model, adding that road safety had also been referred to by the Prime Minister in Mann Ki Baat. “By creating the Sadak Surakhya Force, Punjab has shown the country a new path,” he said.

The Chief Minister said a specially trained force of 1,597 freshly recruited personnel formed the backbone of the Sadak Surakhya Force and had been provided with 144 fully equipped vehicles. Since its launch in February last year, the force has reduced road accident deaths by 48 per cent and has also ensured the safe return of valuables and cash belonging to accident victims, he said.

He said the force had been deployed along 4,200 kilometres of accident-prone highways and, apart from patrolling, acted as a deterrent against traffic violations. Mann said previous governments had failed to address road safety with seriousness, resulting in Punjab figuring among the worst-performing states in terms of accident casualties.

Highlighting infrastructure measures, the Chief Minister said the Patiala-Sirhind road, once known as a ‘killer road’ with an average of nearly three deaths every day, had been completely transformed. He added that the state government was constructing 43,000 kilometres of high-quality roads across Punjab to connect villages with major highways.

Mann said that with accident victims now receiving immediate first aid and proper medical treatment, lives were being saved across the state.

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