BENGALURU: City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao seems to be on a mission to put an end to traffic congestion in the city. First, he invited more residents to volunteer as traffic wardens, and now, he has put out a list of the most traffic-prone junctions in the city, and has asked citizens for suggestions on how to tackle it.
On Friday, Rao tweeted an image of 40 different traffic-prone junctions, and wrote, “Junctions where we need intervention. Please give actionable and doable suggestions. Kindly write, email, SMS or tweet, we sincerely await your feedback.”
The post received more than 200 re-tweets, with citizens giving their views on traffic in different locations. The list included Goraguntyapalya Junction in Yeshwantpur, and a netizen, @drshankar81, wrote, “Gorguntyapalya junction: The biggest problem is stopping of BMTC and KSRTC buses immediately after signal. Vehicles can’t move even when there is a green signal. Traffic police don’t do much to solve the problem.”
Another tweet from @rajeshasopa read, “Close u-turn on Old Airport Road near Marayjahalli. The road is not fit for u-turns”. Replying to this, Bengaluru Traffic Police wrote that the concerned officials have been informed.
However, the handle for citizen group Whitefield Rising, mentioned that Kundalahalli Gate Junction, Varthur Jodi Junction, Iblur Junction and Hoodi Circle were missing from the list.
Citizens SEEK better security for BBMP marshals
Bengaluru: Basvaraja M, who works as a BBMP marshal in Ward 45, was assaulted near Harishchandra Ghat when he told a resident not to litter, and hand the garbage over to collectors. Residents abused and stabbed Basvaraja with a key, for which he had to go to the hopsital. Subramanyanagar police are following up with the case. The same day, senior health inspector Aneesh Fathima was abused in Rahmath Nagar for fining litterers.
The two incidents brought up questions over the safety of marshals, health inspectors and volunteers working on garbage issues. On October 4, many citizen groups and Dr Lakshmikanth, member, State-Level Awareness Commitee, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, wrote to City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao regarding protection of marshals and BBMP officials.
“Marshals and BBMP officials cant be attacked like this. If they can be attacked, vigilant citizens who stop others from littering will be easy targets. So we approached the police commissioner to provide more security,” said Lakshmikanth. He said that Rao has asked them to make a list of BBMP marshals and the areas they cover, saying he will ensure adequate security to them.