Srinagar: 98.3 Mirchi Srinagar month long campaign, ‘Sun Siren Sun’ to remind people to make way for an ambulance and save lives concluded here today.
Speaking at the concluding event, SSP Traffic City Srinagar, Muzaffar Ahmad Shah thanked 98.3 Mirchi for starting the Sun Siren Sun campaign and creating massive public awareness about the same.
“We have spoken about it relentlessly on air, we have tried to connect with all age groups, we have even rapped about it , and asked people their experiences. Our volunteers have been on different traffic signals across the city to spread awareness.”said RJMehak who does the morning show for 98.3 Mirchi.
“We have been out on the streets to spread awareness and we have multiple routes in an ambulance and gone live to see whether or not people make way for an ambulance.” she continued.
“We have also seen videos on the internet and heard horror stories from people about ambulances being stuck in traffic jams .The campaign focused on providing solutions. Ensuring that a way is made for ambulance can come from collective effort. When I went out on the street in the ambulance to see the ground reality, I realised on the Airport road that wrong parking was a major issue and even if people wanted to make way, they simply couldn’t.”
“This Mirchi initiative is an appeal to remind people that while making way for the ambulance is a humanitarian thing it is also legally binding”.
“As per 2019 amendment of the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988 brought in the provision for punishment for obstructing emergency vehicles, under section 194E, causing obstruction to an ambulance is punishable with imprisonment for six months and a fine up to 10 thousand rupees”
“I also spoke to ambulance drivers and the biggest complaint I heard was that people don’t make way for an empty ambulance, ambulance is an emergency vehicle which might be on its way to pick up a patient, reach hospital and also at times carry valuable life saving drugs from the airport to different hospitals so irrespective of whether or not we see a patient in the ambulance , we absolutely have to make way, ” said RJ Mehak.
Also present at the event were Mirchi Group Head Deeba Khan, GM Nadeem Shafi and Programming Head Mirchi,Yasir Majid, along with the entire Mirchi team. They also spoke about the sense of urgency that needs to be instilled in one and all, to ensure that our lack of awareness doesn’t cost any lives, and that we work on the same.
The campaign was supported by various sponsors. Al- Rahat Imaging & Diagnostic Centre was the health partner for this campaign and it was powered by Eye Care Research Centre in association with ARG Jeep, HK Cements and ANN News was the telecast partner.