Police Trouble

Police Trouble
New Indian Express

Traffic jams during protests and rallies are expected but everything goes out of gear when protests turn violent. It becomes difficult for the police to ease traffic congestion during unexpected situations.

What happened on Saturday was unexpected. We generally prepare for traffic jams in advance and accordingly plan alternative routes. Commuters from south of Bangalore moving towards north and east were the worst hit. Many people complained that they missed trains and buses, but we were really helpless. There were at least 60 buses damaged and were parked haphazardly near Hudson Circle which is a crucial junction. All vehicles moving towards Kempegowda bus stand were stranded there. Removing the buses with cranes was a tedious job. Traffic diversions in Bangalore are very difficult. The roads are already saturated with vehicles and if more traffic is diverted on to them it becomes more chaotic. M A Saleem is the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic (East)

Don’t damage public assets Everytime there is strike or protest in the city, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses get damaged. On Saturday, 50 buses were damaged and the corporation incurred loss of around Rs 30 lakh.

Damage should not be done to community assets as it ultimately gets translated to fare hikes. When a bus is damaged it cannot come back on the roads till it is fully repaired and that will affect the frequency of schedules and the service. Ultimately people are affected. So, we ask people not to damage BMTC buses during the strikes.