Different cup of tea: Volunteers ease traffic woes in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Paras Nath (58) is relishing his new role of a “traffic manager” at the Ashram intersection. Nath runs a paan kiosk under the flyover, but for the next 45 days, he — along with several other volunteers — has been tasked with the important work of making commuters wade through the mess caused by the closure of the key flyover.
“I have had to shut my shop under the flyover. I was approached to assist the police in traffic management for Rs 400 a day. I readily agreed,” Nath told TOI.

Like Nath, scores of other volunteers have been deputed at major points under the Ashram flyover to help keep the traffic moving.
Sanjit Kumar (35) sports a neon green jacket as he stands near a newly set-up traffic light at Taimur Nagar intersection. He can be seen signalling vehicles to move to the right towards DND or stop when directed by the traffic officials. “The flyover closure has forced me to shut my little shop where I sold cold drinks, chips and toffees. This temporary job is better than having nothing to do,” said Kumar.
Panchu Mandal dreams of moving to Italy to work in the food packaging industry: while he waits for his visa formalities to be completed, he has been taking up odd jobs. Managing traffic is one of them. “I stay at Bharat Nagar, located nearby. The officials were looking for volunteers and I was happy to help,” said Mandal, who hails from Nepal.
Another person who is happy with a change of scene — albeit temporarily — is Pascal, who worked as a security guard at a residential society. “No one gives me respect even as I brave extreme weather. At least I am getting an opportunity do something fruitful here,” he said, adding that the policemen were “encouraging and helpful”.
A traffic police officer said the volunteers had been roped in as part of a traffic management plan agreed to by PWD, police and the construction company. “The volunteers are of great help in guiding the traffic, especially pedestrians and cyclists,” he said.