The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : A challenge Law & order

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Saturday, Aug 15, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

A challenge Law & order

The idea in imposing penalty is that people will fall in line on their own when the system is in place, writes
R. Krishamoorthy

The phenomenal rise in the number of vehicles without any notable change in road infrastructure is what poses an uncomfortable situation to the traffic police.

The most challenging part is that a transformation in the traffic management system has to be inevitably ushered in without causing much consternation to the public.

Of course, when there are violations, the city police have no other choice than to act. For instance, in the wake of the announcement by the Commissioner of Police Karuna Sagar that penalty will be imposed on vehicles found stationed in no-parking zones, the traffic police booked close to 100 cases on Wednesday and Thursday against violators.

Their vehicles were taken to the nearest police stations with four towing vans and each violator had to pay a fine of Rs. 150 (Rs. 50 for the violation and Rs. 100 towards the cost of transportation of the vehicle to the station) to get back the vehicle.

The idea of the law-enforcers in imposing the penalty was that people will fall in line on their own when the system is in place. Public compliance to the helmet norm is an instance. “Fining is not a solution,” observed Deputy Comissioner of Police, Crime and Traffic, Rupesh Kumar Meena. Measures have already been initiated to obviate the difficulty of people in identifying designated parking spots, he said, exuding confidence that people will realise their responsibilities.

The spaces demarcated by ropes on certain busy thoroughfares are designated parking spaces. Since, the ropes are prone to withering away, the traffic police have planned to paint the demarcation line. Also, signages at the parking zones will be installed by this month-end, said Mr. Meena.

Haphazard parking being the obvious cause for traffic hold-ups, the traffic police are also exploring possibilities for enforcing one-way system for easing congestion.

The recent removal of encroachments along the sub-jail road for plying of buses has fetched the desired results; the congestion on the Madurai Road has been eased significantly.

Likewise, the East Boulevard Road where the city police have prevented haphazard parking of lorries also presents a pleasing appearance.

In fact, the traffic police see scope for addressing the parking problem effectively in coordination with the city corporation. The city police have already prevailed upon the Corporation authorities to identify spots in places like Singarathope and N.S.B. Road where multi-layer parking lots could be constructed.

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