Traffic woes linked to ego trip of babus published in The Hans India on 21-Dec-2012
Pedestrian silent victims of unsafe roads 38 % accident deaths include pedestrians. Political pressure a major bottleneck.
Denizens are deprived of chances to better traffic conditions in the city, following ego clashes among the heads of government agencies concerned with road and traffic conditions.
Proper coordination is essential between the Traffic Police and the civic bodies like the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Water Board, Electricity Department and the Road Transport Authority in particular to ensure instant action that could influence traffic situations.
In the daily life, whenever a road user encounters traffic blockade, congestion, mostly it is the traffic police department that bears the brunt of public anger. But traffic police has its own sad story to share.
The Traffic Police Department is only a part of the group of public bodies that are directly and indirectly involved in ensuring better traffic conditions, observed CV Anand, the Hyderabad Traffic Police (HTP) chief.
The Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) is of the considered view that the traffic conditions could get far better than the existing ones if involvement from the government bodies like GHMC, CPDCL, RTA and Water bodies is encouraging.
Ego hassles were impeding coordination, the HTP chief spelled out, while talking about the challenges faced by the force. “We organise regular meetings to ensure better coordination to discuss hurdles for streamlining the traffic on the ground. But the ego problems are too much,” said CV Anand at a workshop on road safety.
Footpath, where ever it exists, is available for everything except pedestrians. Electric poles, transformers, roadside vendors, small-time business establishments are seen occupying the footpaths. But the agenceis concerned ignore such things and that is the biggest concern.
Pedestrians have been silent victims to the unsafe road conditions. “Pedestrian policy needs to introduced. Of the 2,358 deaths due to road accidents, 892 deaths involved pedestrians, most of them being elderly and young people,” said the HTP boss. “The GHMC plays a key role among all to better road conditions,” he added.
Commercial establishments are seen using their basement space meant of the parking area for commercial activity and the visitors are seen parking the vehicle on the main roads. The road- side small business establishments function illegally and could not be touched at all due to strong political interference, lamented CV Anand.
Lack of coordination among government agencies, arising partly out of indolence, hierarchical issues, political interference or ego hassles, had stalled projects and jeopardised the functioning of the governmental machinery, he conceded.
The need of the hour in these organisations is to get things together in the interest of denizens and make the city a better place to live, he added.