MUMBAI: While most of Mumbai welcomed the pre-monsoon showers on Monday, a traffic policeman stood for two-and-half hours in pounding rain with no waterproof gear to ensure there was no road block or collision.
A video clip of the policeman at work which was shot by a motorist is now being shared Whatsapp.
Constable Nandkumar Ingle, 47, was on duty at Akurli Road, off the Western Express Highway in Kandivali East, when it started raining around 8pm on Monday.
There was a very strong wind and barricades put up on the road were blown away in all directions. The force of the wind was so strong that some of the barricades blew away upto 150 metres under the skywalk.
Ingle was accompanied by a traffic warden for regulating vehicular movement on the stretch.
"There was no time to don a raincoat. I handed my cellphone and wallet to the warden and asked him to take cover. Vehicular traffic flow on Akurli Road is heavy and I couldn't have moved from my position as it would have resulted in chaos on the road," Ingle said.
The constable's biggest fear was a pedestrian or light vehicle being blown away due to the force of the wind.
"I kept the traffic moving but right then, a huge tree collapsed. This caused temporary congestion. My colleague, Pradeep Bhilaye from the Dahisar traffic outpost, came to my assistance. Bhilaye's duty hours end at 9.30pm. But both of us stayed back till 11.30pm on the road. An assistant police inspector and traffic wardens were sent to other parts of Kandivali East. The severity of the rain reduced late at night," said Ingle.
On Sunday, Ingle reported to work as usual when someone informed him of a video being posted on Facebook, featuring him. Ingle does not have social media accounts and had no clue what the video was about till his superiors summoned him and congratulated him.
"I come from a farmer's family and have working in pounding rain is not new to me," said the cop, who has served with the Mumbai Police for the past 23 years.
