By Maxwell Pereira
Almost three decades ago the pioneering vision and the blue print for Road Safety given by the then traffic chief for the city - G.S.Mander, had caught the imagination of the Planning Commission, to create a Cell in Delhi Police as a Plan Project funded by Plan funds. And the first ever Road Safety Research, Education and Publicity Cell in the country came into being in 1975 with a very junior yours truly as its first head. And then during the 80s came the annual Road safety exhibition in a Traffic Pavilion at the India International Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan, taking advantage of the opportunity to expose the teeming crowds that flock to this Fair, to aspects of road safety and other traffic management matters.
That traffic and transportation issues have become very important for a fast growing metropolitan city like Delhi is no news. The phenomenal increase in Delhi's motor vehicle population witnessed in the last decade or so is in itself a very daunting task for any traffic police organization. Add to it the typical features of Delhi's traffic scenario like rapid growth in human population, heterogeneity in modes of transport, a predominantly road based transport system, multiplicity of agencies, and a not-too-complimentary road use behaviour - to name just a few, and we have a gigantic problem on our hands.
Given the circumstances and despite all odds, the Delhi Traffic Police have endeavoured to accomplish the onerous and taxing task of managing traffic in the best possible way.
The task is multi-dimensional in nature. And the failure of the Driver License issuing system all over the country has necessitated the Traffic Police to take on the additional responsibility of educating road users too for a disciplined and safe road use. Lack of adequate Traffic Engineering know-how in the Country has also necessitated the need for the Traffic Police to ensure that engineering changes in the city dovetail with the requirements of safe and comfortable mobility on the roads.
Traffic management does not end with ensuring the so-called three E's of traffic management - Enforcement, Education and Engineering. Traffic Police have also to keep up with the technological developments going on in the field of traffic management globally, and this luckily the Delhi Traffic Police has been able to do fairly successfully and it is not lagging behind in the field of technology as well.
In the recent past, a number of technological innovations have been introduced. Like Online Prosecution System, the Area Traffic Control System, a vibrant web site and SMS facility for information dissemination and GIS based Accident Information System - to mention just a few. The most satisfying aspect of these changes is that they have proved to be very relevant to the needs of the people of Delhi. An index of the efforts of Delhi Traffic Police is the steady decline in fatalities on Delhi's roads seen in the last few years. This is a direct result of traffic management and road safety efforts.
The Delhi Traffic Police Pavilion is considered important, as it is meant to showcase the achievements of the traffic police spanning all aspects of traffic management in the last year. Simultaneously it is expected to spread awareness among the general public regarding the various initiatives undertaken by the traffic police. In a way, this helps in spreading a sense of belonging, which is so important for developing civic consciousness in the city. On an average every year the pavilion statistics notch up over two lakh visitors passing through its portals. A little known feature is that the traffic pavilion continues to provide a convenient platform for people throughout the year for communicating and interacting with the traffic police, seeking information and getting road safety education among other things.
© copyright : Maxwell Pereira
Courtesy Mid Day, dated November 27, 2002
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