Aimed at localised traffic management and rushing help in a prompt and efficient manner in the fast-developing eastern sides of the district, Thripunithura might get the third dedicated traffic police station in Kochi.
The whole of Thripunithura and its surroundings are currently being served by the City Traffic Police - East, based at Edappally. “Police personnel from here often find it difficult to attend to traffic hold-ups and accidents in Thripunithura and nearby areas. Their jurisdiction thus extends to around 20 km from the traffic station. Locales in the city need swift response from the police,” said G. Poonguzhali, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic, Law and Order), who is slated to join her new stint shortly as SP of Wayanad district.
“Moreover, personnel from Edappally have to manage traffic on the busy NH and other stretches in the city hub like Edappally, Palarivattom, and Kaloor. Under these circumstances, we have sent a proposal to the police headquarters, seeking bifurcation of areas under the Traffic Police - East,” she added.
While city traffic - east and west is headed by officers in the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Thripunithura might be headed by an ACP or a Circle Inspector, it is learnt.
Specialist wings
The east wing of the traffic police has, in the meantime, deputed its personnel under three wings, to make optimal use of manpower. Each wing is taking care of road engineering, traffic regulation, and rule-enforcement aspects.
Personnel of the engineering wing thus keep tab of manpower deployment, based on road and traffic conditions. They also track accident spots and suggest new infra like medians, pedestrian-crossing lines, signal systems, or modifications to existing infra like unscientifically-located U-turns. They also monitor CCTV footage, to keep tab of rule violations and to ascertain the cause of accidents.
Traffic police have also been introducing reforms, based on first-hand observation of how personnel of the Hyderabad City police function. For this, a 10-member team led by Francis Shelby, ACP of Edappally Traffic Police, spent 10 days in Hyderabad earlier this year, getting to know how innovative traffic management measures are introduced in keeping with changes in traffic pattern and density. Small changes that were introduced in traffic regulation, including on the NH Bypass, thus yielded substantial results, Ms. Poonguzhali said.
Over the past year-and-a-half, the police identified 38 bottlenecks that hindered free flow of vehicles, based on a study conducted across the city and its immediate suburbs. Steps were taken to overcome most of these hurdles, she added.
