Sir,

Apropos the letter by Shivaram Nayak (SOM dated Apr. 2), who has boldly and bluntly called the bluff of helmet checking drive by the Traffic Police, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Nayak for comprehensively analysing many issues thereof with clarity of failures by the enforcing authority in each of those issues.

I would like to add a few more issues. Many of them have been discussed and debated earlier also, but to no avail.

1. Failure to prevent vehicles without number plates to ply on the roads, as though it is the job of the RTO to control it and the Traffic Police have no role in it. Why not issue notice to RTO or meet them and stop the nuisance?
2. Electric two-wheelers are becoming more and more popular and affordable. This also reflects the policy of Government to bring about pollution-free city roads and cleaner environs. But look at the policy of transport authority. There is no registration needed for electric two- wheelers below certain capacity. Why is it so? Do they not use the roads and do they not cause accidents?

When no such restriction is made public and strictly enforced, what happens to the accident victim involving an electric two-wheeler? Are such vehicles covered by insurance policy? What about theft of such vehicles and how are they traced?

Added to this is the notion that the driver of such vehicles does not need to have a driving license. Even a ten-year-old is seen riding such vehicle in Ramakrishnanagar . Why is the Traffic Police silent on this issue?

3. Traffic Police department is equally blind to the need of a proper system of info and administration of towed away vehicles. A vehicle is towed away leaving the owner in a quandary.
4. What about the rampant 3 and 4 persons riding on two- wheelers? It is saddening to note the decline in road discipline amongst the educated and young college students. Why is the traffic authority not very vigilant on this issue?

This clearly shows that the real concern of the Traffic Police is not wholly aimed at reducing the accidents, educating the youth, enforcing all the traffic related rules strictly and in a wholesome manner, removing the obstacles impeding the smooth flow of traffic. But it is only a symbolic justification of their employment at the expense of the tax-payer.

Hope, the authorities will rise to the current situation and act promptly.

– Prof. B.S.Shankara (retd.), Ramakrishnanagar, 4.4.2018

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