The city police are in the process of identifying service-minded autorickshaw drivers to help pedestrians cross busy city roads. It will be implemented in the West Sub Division, as a pilot project. Select drivers will be given reflective jackets and a ‘stop’ board.
At quite a few places in the city, especially near schools, autorickshaw drivers from the nearby auto stands could be seen voluntarily regulating traffic. While it comes in handy for the traffic police personnel, there are incidents where motorists pick quarrels with them. Hence, the police have come out with the novel idea of availing of their service near schools and at busy junctions, with the required gear.
“Autorickshaw drivers cannot hold the traffic or divert vehicles. They can only pause movement of vehicles for a few seconds to help pedestrians cross roads. They will play an assistive role for the police personnel who are at the locality for duty, to avoid the possibilities of misuse by drivers,” former Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic, R. Sivakumar said recently.
According to him, nearly 50 per cent of the autorickshaw drivers keep waiting at their respective autorickshaw stands for trips. “The idea is to avail of the service of such drivers . Their service will come in handy during the peak hours of the day,” the DC added.
They will hand over the jacket and the ‘stop’ board to the other identified drivers in the stand when they get a trip. At the end of the day the gear will be handed over to traffic police personnel in-charge of the area to avoid misuse of the same.
Of the nearly 12,000 autorickshaw drivers in the city, the police are identifying 100 autorickshaw drivers with good record at select autorickshaw stands in around 20 busy places in West Sub Division. Focus is to help pedestrians at Oppanakara Street, Ukkadam, Bazaar, R.S. Puram, NSR Road and Thadagam Road.
Background verification of drivers is being done by a team led by traffic inspector K.V. Sadhasivam with the help of the respective law and order police stations. “We will also constantly track these drivers to check misuse of their association with police. On studying its effectiveness it will be implemented in the East Sub Division also,” Mr. Sivakumar added.
In a couple of days the police will be conducting a meeting for autorickshaw drivers selected for the initiative . Traffic police feel that this initiative would help them build a good rapport with autorickshaw drivers.
“This initiative by the police is a welcome sign. It reminds us of how autorickshaw drivers used to regulate traffic at Raja Street and Oppanakara Street about 25 years ago. Involving us in helping public will also boost our image among public,” says president of the Coimbatore District Autorickshaw Workers All Association Joint Action Committee P.K. Sukumaran.
