Traffic cops let motorists violate rules only to book them later

The Times of India: Nagpur: Wednesday, October 31, 2012.

Despite strict guidelines from the state police for regulating smooth vehicular movement by manning traffic junctions, the traffic cops in city are doing just the opposite.

Instead of manning traffic junctions, traffic cops stand at distant places and allow motorists to violate rules and later penalize them.

In fact, traffic cops are supposed to stand at any one of the four corners of a junction or inside the booth, admitted in-charge ACP (traffic) and information officer Avinash More while replying to a RTI query by activist Abhay Kolarkar.

Barring a few major crossings like Variety Square, Law College Square, RBI Square, Agrasen Chowk, Chhatrapati Square, hardly any traffic cop can be spotted at busy junctions.

The city's traffic police department has a strength of around 500 police personnel including one deputy commissioner of police, six senior police inspectors, PSIs, APSIs, head constables and constables. Despite this, traffic cops are deployed only at 85 junctions, while there are 86 busy crossings where no policemen are deputed, reveals the RTI reply.

Expressing concern, lawyer and traffic activist Tushar Mandlekar asked, "Who will police the police?" Traffic constables missing from important traffic junctions have deteriorated the vehicular movement at many places, he alleged.

A case in point is the Rani Jhansi Square. At this junction, two cops are deployed to regulate traffic. Instead, the men in white shirt and khakhi pants, choose to stand on North Ambazari Road resulting in chaos by three and six-seater autorickshaws.

In the RTI reply, More revealed another interesting fact which stated that the department has recovered Rs 10,93,50,850 fine by penalizing 8,24,052 motorists for violating traffic rules. Despite generating such a big amount, not a single penny has been spent for improving city's traffic.

Another thing which needs to be appreciated is that many a time these cops discharge their duties in extreme weather conditions, especially during summer.

A majority of two-wheeler riders cover their faces with scarves or dupattas. Though the reason cited is protecting the skin from Sun, the fact remains that it also hides the identity of the person.

Despite having provisions to book two-wheeler riders for riding without headgear, nothing has improved on city roads, Kolarkar alleged. Even the trend of covering faces with scarves by two-wheeler riders has increased manifold. The traffic officer admitted that covering faces with scarves is a punishable offence under section 140 of Bombay Police Act.

"If the objective is to save your skin from Sun, the helmet is a better option and besides I have seen boys driving with their faces covered in the evening," pointed out Kolarkar demanding that the traffic department relaunch the drive against drivers covering their faces with scarves.