Aug 06, 2001 04:31 PM
3369 Views
Bangalore traffic cop (Btc) is an epitome of apathy,indifference,lethargy,incompetence and inertia.I haven't seen anything like it.
If someone, having read Bhagawadgeeta, wants to learn the art of detachment, Btc is the ideal guru. If someone wants to learn TM so that he can be calm and cool in face of all the disturbances and tensions, don’t bother, learn it from Btc. Let there be chaos all around him, let there be two vehicle drivers arguing feverishly with each other bringing the traffic to a stop, let there be vehicles spewing smoke, making horrible sounds, Btc is least concerned, he is cool, calm, detached. He hasn't a clue why he has been posted there, or what he is supposed to do, he is lost in his own dreams of a vantage posting.
An average Btc has three major inhibitions:
He cant bring himself to say ''stop'' to anyone. When lights change, rather than asking the red light facing traffic to stop, he gestures to the green light facing traffic to move, other guys will stop automatically. What about the guy who has inadvertantly crossed the line because no body asked him to stop? Well, that is his karma! Btc doesn't even look at the hapless guy caught in between the criss-crossing traffic.
Btc cant move his limbs too much. Bringing his hands up to the shoulder level is a blashpemy! He will, holding his hands at his tummy level, gesture coyly with a ''come hither'' sign like a roadside tart!
You cant ask him to face the weather, or a rough scene. At the slightest hint of a rain, bright sunshine, or riotous scene, Btc is the first one to vanish to a safe haven.
There is a guy at 4th block Jaynagar crossing who intently stares at the zebra crossing-cum-speedbreaker and doesn't move an inch from his place. 20 feet away, at the crossing, there is a mess, he doesn't even look at it. Once in a while he decides to use his authority, blows his whistle, stops the traffic which has just crossed a red light, and magnanimously allows a lone pedestrian, or a vendor to cross the road. It doesn't occur to him that when the lights turn red at the crossing preceding the zebra strip, pedestrians have all the time in the world to cross the street!
There are couple of other cops at Jaynagar 4th block, perched safely in the special cubicle created mid of the crossing,sitting with a bored look on his face, and at times gesticulates ''move'' to green light facing traffic which doesn't need or heed to his signs. He is perhaps competing to be a TV commentator for live cricket telecast, those guys too keep on telling you what you have already seen on the TV!
Mysore road stretch between Byatrayanpura and start of the sirsi circle flyover, a mere 2-3 Kms stretch, has over a dozen cops , and none of them know what they are supposed to be doing! In peak hours, it's a mess, chaos, it takes more than 25 minutes to traverse…Btc is least involved in any of it.
Dairy circle crossing on the Bannereghatta road, a cop is posted at a corner to ensure that Buses don’t crowd the corner thus obstruct the traffic flow, he does that, he doesn't allow buses to park, but auto-rikshaws and matador vans crowd the corner, ,so what? Nobody has told him about those!
At the trijunction of Mysore road and Ring road, the cop is either busy chatting with the passers by, or is signaling everyone to move , in all directions! How you manage to avoid the oncoming Bus/Lorry and yet take a right turn depends upon your ingenuity, why involve the Btc?
At a few crossings, there are senior traffic police officers. Pot bellied, dark glasses adorning,flowing mustaches, they look like Tamil film villains, pounce upon hapless 2 wheeler riders, especially the youngsters, and students.While the trucks and buses whiz past spewing smoke, noisy auto rikshaws are emitting deadly white plumes, some vehicles having no license plates speed away merrily, LCV's and water tankers driven by barely teen drivers (most of them without licenses) careen menacingly, the officers dare not question or stop any of them, they are too busy questioning the innocent students on their mopeds going to or coming from their tuition classes.
In my 2 years in Bangalore ( my car has already clocked 22000kms) I have seen only one good cop. He is posted at Padmanabha Nagar-Ring road crossing….Kittur Rani Chennamma circle. He hops on to the traffic island in the middle, faces all the sides one by one, lokks eye to eye, gestures whole heartedly waving his arms vigorously, jumps down in the middle of a jam and sorts out things, shouts at the errant ones, smiles at the people, he is too good to be true, that too in Bangalore! He may soon get transferred or sacked for destroying the reputation of traffic police!
At times I feel sad and pity these poor cops, barely educated, ill paid, no training, no motivation, facing the noise,weather,pollution for hours together, day after day, they are not even issued an umbrella or a rain coat, or gum boots. Traffic policing is treated as a punishment posting rather than as a socially important and most significant job in urban centres, and traffic police is neither given the priority or the attention it deserves within the Police department or by the Ministry concerned. It is the most visible and obvious part of the government machinery and first manifestation of the law & order maintenance , hence , should be accorded highest priority and attention, the authorities should realise this soon.
