The last time the Traffic Advisory Committee (TAC) of the city met at police control room on October 22, 2009, which happened after a gap of two years, it passed a unanimous resolution that the committee must meet once in three months, or at least thrice a year. Like many other decisions taken during the meeting, this decision too has not been implemented due to various reasons.
Vehicular traffic continues to go haywire in the city and the number of deaths due to road accident is only increasing. In the first two months of the year, as many as 52 persons were killed and 135 injured in different road accidents that occurred at various places in the city. The first half of March too is no exception to this trend.
The TAC had identified bad engineering of roads, particularly the national highways, as the prime reason for the increasing number of accidents in the city and passed a resolution for making necessary engineering changes. But nothing has been done so far, as the local officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have apparently not taken any action. The only visible development on the highways is erection of ‘Go Slow' caution boards by the city police.
As a step to prevent road accidents at Krishna Nagar junction on Mahatma Gandhi Road, the TAC suggested construction of a divider on the road stretch between Krishna Nagar and Kanuru. However, the initiation of the work is getting delayed continuously due to the proposed widening of the road.
Synchronisation of traffic junctions at places where the service roads join the national highways was yet another important proposal made by the TAC, keeping in view the increasing number of road accidents at Nirmala convent junction, Jyothi Mahal junction and Executive club junction. There was no instance of commencement of these works either.
The “bad engineering” of the road that connects Netaji Bridge is another major issue that contributes to road accidents in the area. Since the issue will have to be dealt with by the NHAI, a proposal was forwarded to the authorities concerned but there seems to be no progress.
With installation of traffic signals at various places in progress, the traffic police are now left with no option but to levy fines on errant drivers to reduce the number of accidents. After conducting a special drive on tippers, the police are now focussing on two-wheelers and collecting fines to the tune of about Rs. 1 lakh a day.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) V. Suresh Babu, when contacted, said that the TAC meet will be conducted in April.
