Kevithuto Sophie and other police officials with recipients of Good Samaritan Award in Kohima on August 9. (Morung Photo)
DEF Kohima launches Road Safety Cell
Our Correspondent
Kohima | August 9
Through Good Samaritan Award, the District Executive Force (DEF) Kohima today recognized the contribution of an NGO and a police personnel for their exemplary works in saving lives on vehicular related incident.
Kevithuto Sophie, senior Superintendent of Police, Kohima handed over Good Samaritan Award to Tsiese Basa Youth Organization (TBYO) and UBC Isilong Hau of DEF Kohima in a function held in the conference hall of SP, Kohima on August 9.
TBYO have been conferred with the award for extending their helping hands to the 27 victims of ill-fated Dimapur bound Tuensang night super bus which met with an accident on June 5, 2022 at Tsiesema village in Kohima district near Dzüdza Bridge.
TBYO have stepped out to assist the victims by administering them first aid and immediately rushing them to nearby hospitals, within the golden hour of the accident, thereby potentially saving many lives.
Another recipient of the award -UBC Isilong Hau of North Police Station, DEF Kohima, who on 26 October 2021, rushed a minor, who was hit by a car at TCP gate to Oking Hospital Kohima for immediate medical attention.
Hau was off duty that day but his prompt and admirable act not only save a precious life but has also inspired all to live up to their calling and justify the saying that “A police officer is never off duty.”
The senior SP Kohima and all ranks and files of DEF Kohima honoured TBYO and Hau for demonstrating community values, exceptional service and for rendering assistance to others in need.
‘Any ordinary citizen can also be hero’
Speaking on the occasion, Sophie said that “Any ordinary citizen without any superpower can also be hero.”
There are many ordinary citizens without any superpowers who are rising up to the occasion and performing extra ordinary feats of selfless act of kindness every day to help others in need, he said.
In this, he said that Good Samaritan Award has been instituted to celebrate and honour selfless act of kindness of an individual, group or any organization which exemplifies extraordinary concern for others and has gone way above and beyond their call of duty to assist others in critical times of need and emergencies.
Road Safety Cell launched
In conjunction with Good Samaritan Award, a Road Safety Cell was also launched today by senior SP Kohima and it became operational from today.
Sophie said that Kohima city is changing by leaps and bound and its demography is also changing with every passing day and with an increase in its populations, number of vehicles and volume of flow of vehicles are also increasing exponentially every day.
“This is posing a great challenge to our traffic personnel because vehicular accidents and causality due to accidents are on the rise and is becoming an everyday affair,” Sophie said.
Towards this, DEF did a case study and it has been observed that one contributing factor is because of the lack of knowledge of awareness about basic road safety principles.
“In our efforts to tackle those road menaces, the Road Safety Cell was conceptualized in-order to create awareness, disseminate and sensitize the citizen about road safety issues within the district, he said.
Roles of Road Safety Cell
K Soriso, Additional Superintendent of Police (Protocol &Traffic) said that Road Safety Cell of DEF Kohima shall use variant techniques to spread awareness about road safety among the citizens, disseminate road safety awareness video clips, pictures etc. through Kohima Police social media handles among others.
He said the office of the Road Safety Cell will function from Traffic Control Room building.
The jurisdiction of Road Safety Cell shall extend to whole district at Kohima.
The officers and personnel of Road Safety Cell shall be responsible for advocacy of road safety rules and principles within the district.
The Road Safety Cell of DEF Kohima shall use various techniques to spread awareness about the road safety among the citizens.
It would disseminate road safety awareness through video clips, pictures etc through Kohima police social media.
It would also deliver lectures through seminars in schools, colleges, wards, colonies, Government departments etc. and distribution of Road Safety pamphlets.
It would also collaborate with NGOs, ward councils to conduct awareness camps on road safety rules and also conduct training programs for all road users especially vulnerable ones like pedestrians, bicycle and motorcycle riders and drivers of commercial vehicles like buses, trucks and taxis.
The officers of Road Safety Cell shall implement and enforce all Road Safety laws/regulations within the district through regular enforcement drives, frisking and checking.
They shall make endeavour to ensure that citizens adhere to road safety and traffic rules.
The officers and personnel of Road Safety Cell shall also create awareness about common laws/rules like Motor Vehicle (Driving) Regulation 2017, Motor Vehicle Act 1988, Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 and also for imbibing good driving/riding and road etiquettes among the masses.
The Road Safety Cell shall be responsible to conduct training programs and refresher course on Traffic and Road Safety Rules/Laws within the Unit for Traffic personnel and other personnel of the unit.
Earlier, the programme was chaired by Manom Wallim, Deputy SP (Traffic) while Vesotsü Rhakho, pastor PUBC pronounced dedicatory prayer. Vote of thanks was proposed by Vitoshe K Sumi, Additional Superintendent of Police, Kohima.
