Chandigarh, March 28 -- Expressing concern over road accidents and stressing the need to make people from all sections of society aware about road safety, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday said that 4.80 lakh electronic challans were issued in the past one year against over-speeding vehicles. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating a two-day national seminar on the theme "Road Safety Solutions", organised by the Indian Roads Congress and the public works department, Haryana, in Chandigarh, he also highlighted that 1,719 km national highways have been constructed at a cost of Rs.28,582 crore over the past 11 years. The CM said that the government has installed 128 advanced cameras on National Highway 44 from Kundli in Sonepat to Shambhu in Ambala, monitored from a central control room in Karnal. As a result, 4,80,000 electronic challans have been issued over the past year for over-speeding, Saini said. He said that the government has launched the Sanjaya application in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, which helps in managing road accident data and analysis to reduce accidents. The CM said Haryana's 112 emergency response system launched in July 2021 and integrated with helplines 1033 and 1073 has significantly improved emergency response efficiency. As many as 2,417 km of new roads have been constructed at a cost of Rs.2,534 crore using modern technology. He said the government has addressed the issue of railway crossings by constructing overbridges and underpasses. He said out of 759 railway crossings in the state, 592 are manned and 167 are automatic. Over the past 11 years, 97 overbridges and underpasses have been constructed at a cost of around Rs.2,000 crore. The government has approved 21 new national highways in Haryana, out of which 12 have already been completed. Expressing confidence that the ideas and suggestions emerging from this seminar will provide new direction to road construction and safety efforts across the country, he said that road safety is not just a technical issue but also a social, human, and moral responsibility. Stating that development is meaningful only when it is safe, Saini said that roads should be built with this approach. "We must build roads that are not only fast but also safe, durable, and environmentally friendly," he said, adding that the state government has improved 43,703 km of roads over the past 11 years at a cost of Rs.28,651 crore. "Public awareness regarding traffic rules is crucial. No matter how good the rules are, they are meaningless if not followed," Saini said, adding that even as roads enable development, road accidents remain a serious concern for society. "We must become more serious about this issue because road safety is life safety." More than 350 experts are participating in the seminar....