The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Not an easy task

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Monday, Jan 07, 2008
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Not an easy task

The twin cities of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack has now got a new police system since January 1. The police have also announced that they would give priority to traffic control to avoid accidents and bring order on the roads. But this looks impossible on the face of the simple reason that they don’t have adequate number of traffic policemen. A drive on the four-lane road from Damana to Raj Bhavan round about in Bhubaneswar one finds the road full of chaos. The newly designed cuts on the roads that were constructed to ensure free flow of traffic have resulted in causing more problems. It is because no one seems to be ready to drive down a few more metres for taking a turn at the designated places. The virtual absence of traffic police makes it easier for almost everyone to violate the rules. Similar is the situation in Bhubaneswar as a whole. Barring a few major intersections, there is no presence of traffic police in the rest of the areas. All that the police have been successful in doing so far is that they have made a majority of people wear helmets while driving a two-wheeler.

It’s high time the police should realise that use of helmets by the two-wheeler drivers was not the end of the traffic control. They must get more traffic personnel to take on those parking vehicles wherever they wanted; particularly the auto-rickshaw drivers who stop their vehicles suddenly even on busy roads.

Pramod Das

Bhubaneswar

A commendable decision

Through these columns I want to thank the Orissa Government for two decisions taken by it with regard to situation in communal violence hit Kandhamal district. The politicians and communal forces with vested interests, who always try to divide people to make own gains, would make much hue and cry regarding these decisions. The State Government has rightly decided not to allow any politician enter Kandhamal district. Its decision of not allowing any persons or agency to distribute relief materials to victims directly in Kandhamal district is also a commendable decision. The pseudo sympathisers, who would have otherwise tried to fan animosity in remote areas of Kandhamal district in the name of distribution of relief materials, were restricted. Similarly politicians, who only want to enter Kandhamal to assess the gains of their party after the communal violence and to chalk out plans of divisive politics for petty politics, have no place in Kandhamal for the time being. Let these press meet heroes growl before press in Bhubaneswar. People of Kandhamal should bring in peace in their area with their own effort. They can do it without whirlwind visits of political leaders to their areas.

Manas Patnaik

Puri

Reschedule school timings

Winter months bring in plight for the pre-school students. For these tiny tots of around five years of age, waking up early in the morning is surely a great pain. Moreover, they also have to face the chilly winter wind on their way to school early in the morning before 7 am. In most of the schools the pre-school classes start early in the morning, while the higher classes start at 10 am. The pre-school session of a school in Berhampur starts at 6.30 am even during winter months. Children no more sleep before 9 pm to wake up at 5 am to get ready for school. These early morning sessions for pre-school students creates antipathy towards schooling in the minds of these tiny tots.

The schools can reschedule their pre school classes so that the small children would have to come out of their homes for school only after sun comes out and environment becomes slightly warm.

Namita Das

Berhampur

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