Traffic cops unwind during bandhs

Bhubaneswar: Any bandh in the state is a time for Commissionerate police’s traffic officials to unwind and take rest as vehicular traffic in the city is very sparse with the denizens preferring to stay indoor.
During Monday’s protest by Congress and other parties against demonetisation of `500 and `1,000 denomination notes, several traffic posts in the city were seen unattended leaving commuters dependent either on traffic signals or on their own road sense.
Police sources said traffic posts in Bhubaneswar are usually unmanned during bandhs.
“Traffic posts in Maharishi College Square, Satya Nagar, Rupali Square, Ram Mandir Square, near Red Cross Bhawan, near GPO, and even the one near commissionerate police office were reportedly unmanned. In some traffic posts like the one in Unit – IV area, traffic officials were sitting due to the low volume of traffic,” they added.
A Chakeisiani resident Roshan Patra said he has witnessed similar scenes during every bandh in the city.
“Commuters drive speedily as there is no cop to regulate traffic. This risks the lives of others travelling on the roads,” he pointed.
Bhubaneswar traffic IIC Surendra Kumar Bal told Orissa POST that traffic officials were possibly not present at traffic posts due to sparse traffic.
“The traffic officials must have been somewhere near the traffic posts. As there was less traffic Monday, the officials might have been sitting somewhere near the posts,” he claimed.

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