THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ever thought about the men in uniform who manage traffic at various junctions in the city under the hot sun, dust and vehicles fumes for long hours, often without proper hydration? With the summer getting more intense, the traffic police and wardens are literally taking the heat. The various schemes of the state police, including giving free water bottles to the policemen, are yet to start this season.
For the last two days, the temperature in the city has crossed the 35 degrees Celsius mark and the Met Department has predicted a further rise in mercury over the next few days.Currently, the city has more than 200 home guards, including women, other than the police personnel who are posted at various busy junctions in the city.At several junctions, there are no proper traffic posts and they have to stand in the middle of the road to manage the traffic.
They work in two shifts; one from 7 am to 2 pm and the other from 2 pm to 10 pm. So, that’s seven to eight hours standing on the road. This has led to severe stress, and many of the traffic constables also suffer from sunstroke and other related illness.Two years ago in the summer season, then State Police Chief T P Senkumar had issued a circular to provide water to traffic police and wardens every day. There were also plans to distribute lemonade and buttermilk to the police personnel.
However, the daily distribution of drinking water and lemonade lost its initial fizz and was dropped halfway citing the ‘impracticalities’ involved in it. Now, the drinking water distribution is only limited to the summer season.
Last year, State Police Chief Loknath Behera announced for funds to be set aside for all the 19 police districts in the state for drinking water distribution. Of the districts, Thiruvananthapuram range got the maximum share with Rs 1.25 lakh. The police also decided to change the duty timings of police officers. But things have not changed and many of the wardens and policemen are still bearing the brunt.According to a traffic warden who requested anonymity, he has not received drinking water so far from the police and had to approach a petty shop nearby to have lemonade or mineral water.
“When some news reports coming in, we will get free mineral water. But it is not on a daily basis. In fact, we used to suffer a lot by breathing toxic gases under the dangerous ultraviolet rays of the sun.
Earlier, we were also offered a mask to protect us from the pollution. Now, even this proposal seems to have been dropped,” said a traffic warden.
Will keep it up
City Police Commissioner P Prakash told Express the drinking water supply scheme was not stopped and it will begin from next month. “Last year, we successfully provided lemonade and mineral water. This year, we will provide similar steps to give respite to the policeman and wardens,” he said.