Speeding over 50 km/hr on Mohali’s Airport Road to now invite up to ₹5k fine
Attention, drivers in Mohali! The speed limit on Airport Road (PR-7), a key traffic lifeline in the city, has been set at 50 km per hour by civic authorities.
The move comes four days after Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann launched e-challans through CCTV cameras installed under the City Surveillance and Traffic Management System on March 6. Thus, road users who exceed the 50 km/hr limit on this busy stretch will face e-challan fines of up to ₹5,000.
On Monday, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) installed 10 speed limit boards across its jurisdiction, including on the busy PR-7 road. A total of 20 such boards are planned, aimed at ensuring safer roads and smooth traffic flow. Additional boards have already been set up at Cheema Chowk, IISER Chowk, Sohana Gurdwara Chowk, near Quark City, on Gopal Sweets-Mullanpur stretch and other key spots.
A GMADA officer explained that the speed limit aligned with the Punjab transport department’s 2022 notification, which set clear rules for different types of vehicles.
As per the said notification, the motor vehicles used for carriage of passengers comprising not more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat (M1 category vehicles) at four-lane and above divided carriageway (road within median strip/dividers) is 100, but it comes down to 50 on roads within municipal limits, such as Airport Road in Mohali.
The goal of these changes, according to Mohali deputy commissioner Komal Mittal, is to curb road accidents and save precious lives. Backing the new speed limit, state road safety adviser Navdeep Asija added that increasing the speed will increase the risk for other commuters, especially on an urban stretch like Airport Road, with heavy presence of two-wheelers.
Meanwhile, since the launch of CCTV surveillance system four days ago, Mohali police have issued 6,962 e-challans worth over ₹70 lakh. Of the total challans, police have settled 110, realising ₹1 lakh in fine.
