Coimbatore: Two traffic cops teaching colleagues on beating stress

COIMBATORE: Commissioner of Police V Balakrishnan has selected two traffic constables to train the entire force of Coimbatore city traffic police wing on serving with a smile even in the most trying situations.

One of them is  head constable V Allidurai (41). Recently, when motorists were giving police personnel an earful because traffic on Avinashi road was diverted due to water stagnation under the flyover, Allidurai wielded the megaphone to  calm them down. Allidurai, who was standing at the Lakshmi Mills signal, explained the situation and said, “Not everyone gets blessed by Nature nor does it rain at anybody’s wish .

We are all blessed by the rain today.”  Video of his message was widely circulated, and Allidurai became a media hero within a day. A native of Sankarankovil in Tirunelveli, he is working in Coimbatore for the past 22 years and has delivered short and witty messages while on the beat.

After a long service in Law & Order, Allidurai voluntarily moved to Traffic wing in Racecourse station a year ago. Despite his busy schedule of regulating traffic on Avinashi road, Allidurai finds time for motorists and educates them on traffic rules and road etiquettes while they wait for the signal.

“Everyone has a mission during driving. If we interrupt them or divert them on a different path, they will get angry. As a policeman, I have to handle the situation responsibly. If I make them angry, it may cause accidents. I feel I must act responsibly as my work is directly related to the lives of people,” said Allidurai
He added, “Thousands of people cross me every day. During my eight hours of duty, if I can make an impression on at least 50 people, that is enough for me. I make them understand their mistakes in a way that would not offend them.”

The second policeman is T Ravichandran (56), special sub-inspector  attached to Racecourse police station who regulates traffic at LIC signal on Avinashi road. His polite comments are also well received by motorists. Impressed by the positive feedback about them Commissioner V Balakrishnan met them on Wednesday and appreciated their efforts.

“As their approach is being well received, it has been decided to impart training to other traffic police who are working at a traffic signal. I have asked them to train other police personnel who are working in the traffic wing. The two will address other personnel during the daily roll call at 7 am,” said Balakrishnan.