Co-ordination among depts, avoids confusion

Co-ordination among depts, avoids confusion


Traffic Signal at Minsq Squar in Bangalore.
Sriram V
First Published : 10 Nov 2008 10:32:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 10 Nov 2008 02:39:55 PM IST

BANGALORE: Mile-long traffic jams, circuitous diversions, chaos at traffic junctions and no answers as to why the public were kept in the dark. But that’s not the end of it.

As enquiries by The Express revealed on Sunday, even as ongoing infrastructure works make for many a traffic bottleneck across the city, the BBMP and traffic police who should be in the thick of things are instead involved in a blame game.

Take Saturday’s case where motorists were caught unawares of traffic diversion at War Memorial junction (Brigade Road- Residency Road) due to work on a stormwater drain.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Praveen Sood said that the traffic authorities were informed of the work only on Saturday morning just before the BBMP commenced its work. He went on to note that so is the situation with regard to repair and maintenance works the BBMP undertakes.

“We have no option even if we are informed 10 days in advance or 10 minutes in advance. We have to divert the traffic. But public can be notified in case we get prior information,” Sood said.

But hear the other side!



BBMP Chief Engineer Chikkarayappa, who is overseeing the SWD remodelling work at the junction said that the traffic police were intimated about the work 10 days in advance.

According to Sood, it is the maintenance and repair work that are the most troublesome to manage as the civic agencies have little knowledge about the nature of job at hand. They have no idea as to how long it would take to complete the work.

Sood said, “In most infrastructure projects, depending on the scale of the project, civic agencies in consultation with traffic police have to come up with a traffic management plan or traffic diversion plan.”

“We try to minimise inconvenience caused to commuters as work of such scale involves a massive disruption of traffic. At most we are able to achieve only 50 per cent efficiency on the affected roads,” he said.

Expert speak: Traffic expert M N Sreehari says before taking up any infrastructure project all civic agencies should submit a diversion map in case of small projects and a diversion scheme in case of bigger projects.

The civic agency can start the work only after approval is given.

* Roads on the diversion route have to be strengthened before the plan is approved.

* Adequate traffic signals, street lighting and signage should be introduced much before work begins.

* Even for small projects, traffic diversion plan should be approved at least a week in advance.