Chennai: Avadi gets first woman traffic inspector

CHENNAI: Regulating vehicles on the roads is something new for S Sujitha. But, the first woman traffic inspector in the Avadi commissionerate, has taken it in stride, and, battling the heat and noise pollution with fortitude, performs her job with ease.
The 34-year-old Ambattur inspector, clad in the traditional white and khaki of the traffic police personnel, says the first thing on her priority list is to ensure an improvement in the road infrastructure for the safety of road users followed by enforcement of traffic rules. Handed over charge of her new calling by Avadi police commissioner A Arun, who told her to take it up as a challenge, Sujitha says she would first clear the roads in her jurisdiction of all obstructions like Tangedco wires and pits with the help of officials concerned and then ensure there is free flow of traffic.
Later, she says, she will identify the main congestion points and study what causes congestions like U-turns before implementing the steps necessary to clear the bottlenecks. Manning CTH Road (Chennai-Tiruvallur High Road) is the most challenging, as there is heavy movement of vehicles, she says. “We are on the ground during peak hours both in the morning and evening as it is an industrial area.”
In spite of wearing a mask, the dust and pollution, especially at this junction, is heavy, she says. “But managing traffic is our duty, we have to brave the circumstances and learn to manage such challenging conditions,” Sujitha says.
And most of the motorists she says, have heeded to her appeal to follow rules like wearing helmets, not talking on phones while driving, triple riding and speeding. “I feel our approach towards motorists makes a lot of difference while enforcing rules,” says Sujitha, who was earlier a sub-inspector with the State Crime Records Bureau.