BENGALURU: Every time the city sees heavy rains, the Twitter timeline of the Bangalore Traffic Police (@BLRCityTraffic), becomes the go-to page for information about waterlogging and traffic. After Sunday's rains as well, the city's police force didn't disappoint, and documented the damage done by the rains and shared it on social media.
On Monday morning, traffic policemen from various areas shared updates about traffic in their jurisdiction. Officers from Byatrayanapura, Yeshwantpur and Chikkajala shared videos showing their efforts to clear traffic. With a massive following of around five lakh on Twitter and more followers on Facebook, the traffic police pages have literally become helplines for those planning their morning commute.
“The video posted about waterlogging near Yeshwantpur today on their timeline helped me plan out a different route. These people are on the ground managing traffic and it is a good thing that they share these updates. It is instantaneous and very helpful,” said Mahesh P, a resident of Mathikere. “The BTP accounts are the best place to get news about waterlogging. They share precise videos showing the source of the problem making it easier to divert around the area,” said Santosh HM, a resident of Sahakarnagar.
In the past, the police have also gone to the lengths of arranging to have the water pumped out with the assistance of local authorities or the fire and emergency services in order to maintain the flow of traffic. “Our first priority is to ensure there is no traffic jam. If by sharing these videos, some of the commuters stay away from the area, it only helps us as well as those on the road,” said a traffic police officer who regularly shares updates from his jurisdiction.