Collecting fine seems priority over streamlining traffic
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Oct 18: As the Traffic Police virtually confines itself to revenue generation by imposing heavy penalties on the violators of Motor Vehicle Act, the Winter Capital of the State seems to have plunged into a chaos like situation with frequent vehicular jams here and there.
Though the traffic jams are witnessed frequently, the situation has turned worst during the ongoing marriage and festival season and it becomes unmanageable and almost deadlock type of traffic situation on each and every busy routes of the Jammu City, particularly the routes which lead to palatial banquet halls. In the peak hours, life gets totally paralyzed and collapsed when one passes through these busy routes.
The roads particularly Ambphalla- Janipur, BC Road, Jewel Chowk, Kachi Chawani, Parade Ground, Indira Chowk, Gummat, Talab Tillo, Dogra Chowk, Bikram Chowk, Akhnoor Road and Tawi bridge remain badly choked with vehicles for hours thereby causing immense inconveniences to the public. Illegal encroachments of the roads and footpaths by the shopkeepers and street vendors have further deteriorated the chaotic situation.
Commuting on the maximum of Jammu city roads has become worrisome and more grueling day by day thus depicting the failure of the entire public transportation infrastructure to keep pace with the growing developing activities in Winter Capital of the State.
As the system of traffic in Jammu city is worsening and deteriorating with each passing day, the life comes to a standstill and becomes totally out of gear due to burgeoning vehicular congestion, which has also led to the increase in the number of accidents and fatalities on the roads.
Large number of vehicles snarling up on roads causing immense inconveniences to the public is a routine feature for the daily commuters, particularly employees and students, who variously reach at their destinations late because of traffic congestions.
Even as wrong parking, narrow roads, random stoppages by mini-buses at will, non-adherence of traffic protocol and rash driving are among the causes behind this vehicular chaos on the city roads, behavior of the Traffic Police and its priorities are apparently the main reason behind worsening of the situation.
The Traffic Police seems to have confined itself for revenue generation only by Challaning and collecting fines. Instead of streamlining the vehicular movement at busy roads, the Traffic cops are mostly seen at the isolated places where they can grab the violators of Motor Vehicle Act and collect fine from them for showing daily progress.
A Traffic Cop told the Excelsior, on the condition of anonymity, that they have predetermined quotas of challans to file per day and hence their attention remains on just completing the quotas.
The Governor’s administration needs to take due cognizance of the alarming traffic situation in Jammu city and should formulate a genuine mechanism so that smooth flow of the vehicles can be maintained. Various steps like increasing manpower of Traffic police, controlling unauthorized parking, widening of roads and lanes, removal of encroachment and maximum flyovers have to be taken on war footing basis to save Jammu from further traffic chaos.
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