Traffic
in Jammu
Sir,
The
vehicular traffic within the municipal
limits of Jammu city has grown enormously
large, dangerously un-manageable, and
hazardously fatal, endangering the
precious lives of its citizens, mostly
smalls school going children, and old and
infirm pedestrians. Recently, my car's
rear-door was smashed to be pulp by an
over-speeding Army truck near Bikram
Chowk crossing, which was running in
high-speed (without keeping any regard
for speed-limits in civilian city-zone)
and it tried to overtake my car from the
wrong side, thus smashing the rear side
of it. This incident took place in front
of the J&K's Traffic Police
personnel, one of them being an officer
(an A.S.I), on duty at the Bikram Chowk
crossing. Instead of taking the errant
Army Truck driver to task, the said
Traffic-Police personnel helped him in
fleeing away from this spot of the
accident, and ironically consoled me by
saying that they (the J&K Traffic
Police personnel) have no control over
the Army drivers, but have the same on
the civilians alone, and that I have been
lucky enough that, at least, my life has
been saved by the defaulter Army driver.
Eversince,
the traffic-police of Jammu area have
donned the new blue-uniform, they have
lost their early days' efficiency,
vigilance, and impressive authority,
during the discharge of their duties.
Mostly, they are found gossiping in
groups of two or three, or munching
ground-nuts (Moong-Phalees) grabbed from
a rehri-walla, standing nearly, or at the
most, stopping some matador on mini-bus
conductors, on filmsy grounds (and not
for over-loading of passengers or
high-speed driving through narrow and
crowded streets so as to snatch away
commuters from other mini-bus operating
counter parts), so that their empty
pockets are filled up with hafta-money.
And this is clearly known to their senior
officers, who also become the
share-holders of this booty.
There are
no traffic-rules observed by the public
also, in the Jammu area, while driving
their vehicles, of public transport or
personal utility. There is no strict
adherence to the rule to keep-left, or
sound-horn, or show -dipper (Indicator
lights), while crossing a round-about, or
changing a lane or turning along a carve,
by the vehicle/two-wheeler drivers.
The modern
cybernetics-toxicated youth, driving
their Yezdi or Yamaha heavy-motorbikes,
or Sumo or Quallis speed-monsters do not
bother, while carrying their two or three
merry-making friends on the pillion or
the back-seat, for anybody going ahead of
them on foot, whether he or she is a
human being or an animal. They just want
to rule over the road, as per their own
whim, and whosoever comes in between
should get trampled, come what may.
There were
also the times when the vehicular and
pedestrian traffic in Jammu area used to
be managed, under the strict vigilance
and control of those great
police-officers like Thakur Lachhman Das
Ji and Bakshi Vishwamitra Ji. Of course,
the population of Jammu Municipal area
them was one fifth of what it is today,
and the number of motorized vehicles
plying, then, on its roads and streets
was one-tenth of its present strength.
But, then, the strength of the
traffic-control personnel has also
expanded proportionately, and they have
been equipped with more sophisticated and
scientific gadgets, viz, mobile-wire-less
systems fitted in Gypsy-Cars,
Walkie-Talkie sets, & etc.
How much I
wish that hazard-free traffic management
system of those by gone days in Jammu
area be revived!
It needs
the will power and sincerity of both, the
public as well as the J&K Traffic
Police.
Yours
etc...
A K K Komal,
R/o Sarwal,
Jammu -180005
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