Mysuru: The response to the ‘Traffic Adalat,’ organised by the Traffic Police at one place for the first time in city, did not evoke the kind of attendance expected to tackle the burgeoning vehicle population and the attendant problems.

Police Commissioner Dr. A. Subrahmanyeswara Rao, the Chairman of Traffic Advisory Committee, inaugurating the Traffic Adalat at Police Bhavan on Lalitha Mahal Palace Road here this morning, said: “The Traffic Adalat will be held every Saturday at the same place from now on unlike in the past where it was being held in respective Police Station limits. Since the problems are rising with regard to traffic, an Adalat at one place where the public can share their grievances has been organised.”

Recalling that it was the then Police Commissioner M.A. Salim, who had constituted a Traffic Advisory Committee to give suggestions, he regretted that the public seldom used to participate in large numbers and give their suggestions.

In the light of this, Dr. Rao said, “Following traffic rules is not a Brahma Vidya. What is required is common sense. Probably because of lack of information there are not many people today. Hence, citizens of Mysuru, representatives of various local bodies, NGOs and senior citizens must participate in large numbers to give suggestions on easing traffic problems,” and added, “we plan to include other Departments in the coming Adalats.”

Then the interaction began as a few people raised traffic issues. Manikantaswamy, a resident of Siddartha Layout said, “The four-lane road opposite Milk Dairy has cement blocks as road dividers, which is very unscientific, as the vehicle users find it very dangerous to drive along the stretch. Many accidents have also occurred.”

Senior citizen Balasubramanian, 78, offered to help the Traffic Police in catching people who violate traffic rules. “It is commonly seen that youths who are not wearing helmets try to make U-turn and escape when they see the Traffic Police checking for violations. By doing this they also put others’ lives in danger. We are ready to help you catch such violators,” he said.

Balasubramanian added, “It is not only important that Mysuru is looked at as a beautiful city but also a law abiding one.”

One of SoM’s readers U.B. Acharya displayed more than 50 letters he had written to this newspaper regarding traffic violations.

Leela Venkatesh, said that the haphazard way the KSRTC buses were parked in the Sub Urban bus stand was causing inconvenience to the public and the vehicle drivers. Another senior citizen Jagadish pointed out that there was no traffic signal at Hardinge Circle and near the Tank Bund Road that leads to the Exhibition Grounds, which was causing lot of confusion as the traffic density was very high at this circle where six roads converge.

Traffic ACP K.N. Madaiah responding to this said that once the four-laning work on the Mysuru-Nanjangud road near the Basaveshwara circle is completed, the traffic signals in the Hardinge circle will be activated and the signal installed at the junction of Tank Bund Road.

Another resident Shivananda complained that the Bullet motorcycles and goods vehicles were causing lot of noise pollution on the road where Marimallappa’s and Sadvidya institutions are located. “It is important that awareness is created among the youngsters on these bikes who ride recklessly,” he said.

An RTO officer who was present said that they were trying to curb such practises.                                                              First they would send the violators a notice after noting down their numbers, then a penalty would be imposed and finally their RC books would be confiscated.

A resident of Indiranagar, Charanraj said that due to the encroachment of land by the Zoo authorities, traffic jam was a common occurrence opposite to the zoo. Even the new apartments on the Bannur Road near the Milk Dairy was causing lot of traffic problems and this road needed to be widened at the earliest.

Many felt that since the venue was not in the centre of the City, people from other areas hesitated to come all the way.

DCP Traffic and Vice Chairman, Traffic Advisory Committee  Dr. Vikram V.  Amathe, KSRTC Divisional Controllers Vasu and Srinivas and the newly formed Traffic Advisory Committee members were present.