Sagar
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Feb 13: With about seven lakh vehicles plying on the 1600-km-long city roads, there are only 255 cops to man the traffic. The short-staffed and inadequately equipped traffic cops find it difficult to curb the rising accidents.
Against a requirement of 500 traffic cops, according to assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Jatin Panda, the city has 255 cops who are maintaining 57 traffic posts.
On an average, 604 accidents occur every year if we go by city’s traffic control room data in the last six years (between 2008 and 2013). Around 244 persons, on an average, have lost their lives in road accidents. Around 301 people suffered grievous injuries (including loss of organ) while 264 sustained healable injuries.
The city needs 10 more traffic posts to streamline chaos at junctions like City Women’s College Chhak, DAV school square, Xavier square near Kalinga Hospital, Satyanagar in front of Kali temple, Shiridi Sai Chhak, Aigania Chhak on NH-5, Kalinga Nagar Chhak, Police Reserve Chhak and Pearl Heights cut.
“We need at least three more wings for our department. The academy wing will go to schools and teach traffic rules to students, the work wing will build its own infrastructure instead of asking the Public Works Department (PWD) to do things for it and the press wing will make people aware of traffic rules,” Panda said.
Between 2008 and 2013, 1464 people had died in 3627 road mishaps while 1807 commuters suffered grievous injuries.
However, other than traffic management, the city commuters’ rash behaviour had largely been responsible for deaths in the city. “No matter how many times we held motorists for not wearing helmets and penalised them, they keep on violating the rules,” Panda said.
