While more glamourous aspects of policing in Mumbai, like crime and law and order, often steal the limelight, traffic management hardly gets its due. The expansion of Mumbai’s Metro rail network, and the resultant disruptions for road traffic across the city, have exacerbated the challenges faced by the Mumbai Traffic Police in ensuring smooth movement for commuters. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic (City) Deepali Masirkar speaks to The Hindu on the city’s traffic tangles, including its killer potholes. Edited Excerpts:
What are the challenges posed by the Metro rail construction?
The area covered in the Phase 1 of the Metro, which begins in Colaba, has a lot of offices. We have closed a lot of roads in these areas to deal with the traffic situation but parking remains the major issue as there is not enough space available. Colaba is also the centre for business and government establishments, which results in the inflow of a huge number of cars from the suburbs and other areas, every day. These vehicles are parked on the streets, which takes away a lane from the road. The existing capacity of public transport was proving to be inadequate, and the Metro construction has only added to the woes. But these measures are necessary for the future as more and more people are expected to come in over time, as this is the financial hub of the country. We are still relying on British-era public transport. The Metro is a long-term measure to deal with Mumbai’s traffic woes and what we are seeing currently are the labour pains before the birth. The issue is that such problems are interlinked. For example, there are long queues outside most CNG stations where autorickshaws and taxis line up every day, taking up space on the road, which creates a domino effect. As a result, they can’t provide service to the people, who turn to other options. In turn, the load on buses increases, but the buses, too, have to deal with traffic congestion caused due to the queues outside CNG pumps.
Is a solution being worked on to decrease the traffic congestion in south Mumbai? Is restricting the number of cars entering the area an option?
It is one option. We have already restricted entry of heavy vehicles in south Mumbai, allowing them to ply only between 12 to 7 a.m. We are in touch with various authorities to work something out. We need something on the lines of the Congestion Tax in London, where motorists are required to pay extra tax if they want to enter the business or government centre area of the city. However, the onus of decreasing congestion cannot lie on the authorities alone. The people, too, should exercise their individual responsibility. For example, there are pay-and-park facilities available but people still park their vehicles on the streets, which adds to the congestion. Simple rules like respecting traffic signals, observing lane discipline, not entering one-ways or driving on footpaths can help a lot if it is followed by everyone.
How has the e-challan system helped with penalising offenders, and is there scope for improvement?
We implemented the e-challan system over a year ago. To issue e-challans, we rely on the registration data of vehicles collected by Regional Transport Offices (RTO). However, this data might not always be accurate. Sometimes, this is because many register their vehicles through agents who might not always submit accurate details. In cases where e-challans need to be issued to people on the spot, they sometimes say that they are not carrying their debit or credit cards. We give them the option of paying online later, which they don’t always do, saying they do not have the MTP app on their phones. We are working with RTOs to find a solution. We are also using services like Vahan and Sarathi to confirm the details of offending vehicles. We are working on integrating Vahan and Sarathi systems with the RTO data. As far as improvements are concerned, more cameras are being installed. The government has approved the implementation of e-challans all over the State. So the existing infrastructure will get upgraded.
There have been several instances where Traffic Police personnel have been assaulted by irate motorists, resulting in casualties. What could be the solution to this?
We are trying to use more technology to avoid such incidents. We have installed Advanced Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) in a large number of our cameras as well as speed cameras at locations like the JJ Flyover and the Bandra Worli Sea Link. This helps ensure that offending vehicles are caught on camera and action is taken against them. Speed cameras have also resulted in the number of over-speeding cases increasing a lot this year. We are confident that the difference will reflect during the coming New Years’ Eve, as compared to last year. Instructions are also issued to our personnel to not endanger their lives to stop offenders. Even if an errant vehicle manages to evade one checkpost, it can always be stopped at a subsequent point if its details are shared the minute it gets away. We must also bear in mind that those penalised for traffic offences are not always habitual criminals, and treating them a little less aggressively would also help the situation.
How does the pothole situation affect the traffic scenario?
Potholes are a hazard as it slows down traffic and leads to longer travel time. It also leads to accidents, fatal and non-fatal. We have prepared a list of all the potholes that need to be filled and given it to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for appropriate action.
Drunk-driving is another menace. How are we dealing with it?
Drunk-driving has actually come down considerably and so have accidents and fatalities due to it. This is partially due to stringent nakabandi and penal action. Further, our sustained action is also encouraging people to opt for fleet cabs and party drivers instead of driving under the influence of alcohol. We see a rising trend in this direction.