Chandigarh, Oct 22— Seeking to reduce accidents on rural roads, the Punjab Police’s Traffic and Road Safety Wing has launched a new awareness campaign titled “Hauli Chalo” (Drive Slowly), focusing on the safety of tractor-trolley drivers and farmers.
The campaign, inaugurated by Special DGP A.S. Rai at the Bhago Majra Toll Plaza, began with reflector stickers being installed on tractors and trolleys. In its first phase, 30,000 such vehicles will be covered across 4,100 km of Punjab’s road network. The initiative is being carried out with support from Yara India and the State Safety Force (SSF).
“This campaign is meant to build awareness among the people — it’s not just enforcement,” said Special DGP Rai. “With reflector stickers, tractor-trolleys will be more visible at night and in fog, preventing many avoidable accidents.”
Official records show that from 2017 to 2022, Punjab reported 2,048 tractor-trolley accidents that claimed 1,569 lives, most of them farmers. The Mann government has described these numbers as an “alarm bell” and said the campaign is part of a wider policy push to ensure rural safety.
The police said the initiative comes at a crucial time, coinciding with the harvest season when tractors move frequently in low-visibility conditions. The campaign also builds on recent progress — Punjab recorded a decline in road fatalities in 2024, particularly within the first 24 hours after crashes, which officials credit to improved coordination between road engineering, enforcement, and awareness drives.
All SSF units across the state are participating in the “Hauli Chalo” rollout. Police officials said the government wants to ensure that farming-related transport is as safe as possible. The campaign, they said, underlines that rural road safety is no longer a peripheral issue but part of Punjab’s governance priority.
“Drive slowly, drive safely, save lives — that’s the message,” said Rai, adding that the campaign is as much about attitude as it is about enforcement.
