Raipur: To crackdown on human traffickers who take road routes, chief minister Bhupesh has flagged off 61 new vehicles for highway patrolling on Thursday including 24 vehicles dedicated to the anti-human trafficking units and others to maintain the law and order situation. For the highway patrolling system, around 15 new Ertiga vehicles will be put on the job to ensure the safety of common citizens on highways, smooth traffic movement and provide immediate relief and assistance in road accidents, officials said.
These vehicles will operate in Baloda Bazar-Bhatapara, Gariyaband, Kabirdham, Bilaspur, Korba, Janjgir-Champa, Raigarh, Surguja and Bastar (Jagdalpur) districts. The highway patrolling vehicles would be stationed at a predetermined place on the national highway and upon receiving information regarding an accident in the concerned segment, the vehicles would rush to the spot for assistance including shifting the injured to hospital and reporting the incident to the jurisdictional police station. They would also maintain law and order till the arrival of the local police force.
Earlier, a total of 30 highway patrolling vehicles in the state were operating in Raipur, Durg, Mahasamund, Rajnandgaon, Balodabazar, Dhartari, Balod, Bemetara, Koriya, Jashpur, Surajpur, Balrampur, Kanker and Kondagaon districts. In a bid to strengthen the system for combating human trafficking, a four-wheeler, motorcycle and other necessary resources were provided to 11 districts in the state including Jashpur, Surguja, Korba, Raigarh, Bilaspur, Janjgir-Champa, Balodabazar, Mahasamund, Bastar, Narayanpur and Balrampur.
This year, new vehicles worth Rs 3.60 crore have been provided in all the districts under the ‘Nirbhaya Fund’ for the establishment of new Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and strengthening of the established ones. A total of 24 light vehicles and 46 motorcycles among other resources have been made available to each unit with this fund.