Discipline on Roads: Conduct of Both Police and
Public
Dear Sir
I would like you to devote one session on need of
Discipline on Road. We all know that in the full length and breadth of India,
the road discipline, the civic sense of Road Users is one of the lowest in the
world.
Recently one of my friends from abroad visited
Delhi, Jaipur and Agra and they said that they are afraid of walking on road,
and when they had to cross the road, they needed help as they have never seen
such unruly traffic. I myself had stays abroad for six years and am now afraid
of driving in India as just do not understand the behavior or other drivers as
what they are going to do. A person on right lane suddenly wants to turn left,
person who want to go to right will take the left lane, and on signals people
just do not care about light turning red. When I shouted at one person why he
does not see the red light, he shouted back that if I cannot see his big car
jumping the red light, how he can see the small red light!!!
The base reason is absolute disregard of Road
Discipline in Public and poor implementation of law. Discipline becomes a habit
for two reasons, one is respect for it and second is fear of punishment. The
fear of punishment is totally absent in India and instead of respect for it, a
macho feeling that ‘I can break the law and Police cannot do anything to me’
leads to non-observance of law.
Though the law and order is a state subject, but
still the Central Government can take a lead in all Union Territories including
NCT of Delhi and also asking the States to launch campaigns of Road Safety in
the entire Nation.
In Mumbai, In Delhi, and In villages, we see
people driving two wheelers without helmets, drive cars without seat belts,
driver having small kids in their laps, observance of lane driving and stopping
on Red Signal is for the weak or only if a Traffic Police personnel is around.
The Government should give only a week to the entire
nation and its public; and after that week, all police personnels (not limited to
the traffic police) should be empowered to challan any violation
of the road user rules. In the cities, in the metros and in the remotest part
of country, a person riding a two wheeler must use a helmet, a car driver must
use a seat belt, and a passenger with a small baby in arms should never occupy
the front seat.
Let the fines be increased, by an ordinance (I am
saying ordinance because the opposition may not allow well-meaning bill to be
passed in the Parliament early), to be in proportion of the cost of the vehicle
the person is driving with a minimum of Rs.10,000.
Let the Motor Vehicle Act be replaced by Road User
Act and should have fines for all using roads, whether it is pedestrian,
rickshaw puller or e-rickshaw driver or animal carts.
All municipalities and panchayats should ensure
proper marking on all roads, defining the right of way on crossings. Not only the use, but also sale of louder
electronic horns must be banned. Hitherto, measures of traffic control are not taken in comprehensive manner but only a part at a time:- like a move against drunk driving, or a move against non-transparent windows; against not wearing of helmets or against number plates. There should be
comprehensive movement, including all aspects and not one at a time.
Policemen across the nation should be allowed to
enforce the law of road fearlessly, and if any road user asserts his connection
to any MP, MLA, Panchayat Pradhan or a senior officer somewhere, police person
should not leave such person unpunished.
Offences like drunken driving, zig zag driving and
over speeding beyond a limit, say 50% more than maximum speed limit should be
treated as serious crime and if any fatality occurs in such cases, that should
be treated as a homicide and not accident.
Please inculcate the habit of good road usage.
Thanks & regards
Anup Mukherjee
8826246870
Anup1857@live.com
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