The Thiruvananthapuram city police have proposed the creation of a new traffic subdivision. The move is in anticipation of the marked increase in vehicular density that is expected with the completion of various infrastructural projects during the next few years.
The proposal, which has been submitted to the State government, envisages the establishment of a traffic central sub-division in addition to the existing north and south subdivisions of the city traffic wing.
As part of the proposed arrangement, the traffic north sub-division will include areas coming under the Kazhakuttom Cyber City subdivision and various parts of the Cantonment sub-division including Mannanthala, Peroorkada, Vattiyurkavu, Sreekaryam, Medical College and Thumba.
The jurisdiction of the central sub-division, which has been mooted, will possibly include Statue, Cantonment, Museum, Pettah, Vanchiyoor, Valiyathura, Fort and Thampanoor. The mandate of handling traffic enforcement in the other police station limits in the city including Nemom, Poojappura, Karamana, Thiruvallam, Poonthura, Vizhinjam and Kovalam, will fall on the traffic south sub-division.
Each subdivision will be led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police and will include a Circle Inspector and eight sectoral officers. Hence, with the proposed reform entailing the creation of posts, the additional financial burden will weigh heavily on its chances of getting sanctioned by the government.
According to official sources, the completion of the Vizhinjam international seaport, international convention centre complex at Akkulam and certain private commercial and medical establishments in the next few years is expected to witness an increased concentration of traffic on the NH-66 bypass. In addition, a senior official also pointed to the possibility of the KSRTC south zone being headquartered at Eenchakkal and the Thiruvananthapuram international airport witnessing further expansion in the near future.
Staff strength
The traffic wing’s existing staff strength of 218 personnel and the roughly 120 traffic wardens is seen as inadequate to handle the foreseen circumstance. The proposed reform along with the government’s decision to divest the responsibility of investigations in accident cases to the respective local police stations is perceived to boost traffic enforcement measures and improve effectiveness of awareness programmes. The move will also have a marked influence on steps to bring down the number of accidents.