Transport in the Republic of India is an important part of the nation's economy. Since the economic liberalization of the 1990s, development of infrastructure within the country has progressed at a rapid pace, and today there is a wide variety of modes of transport by land, water and air. The Automobile industry in India is rapidly growing with an annual production of over 2.6 million vehicles and vehicle volume is expected to rise greatly in the future.
As per 2009 estimates, the total road length in
Type of Road | Length |
200 km (120 mi) as of 2006 | |
66,590 km (41,380 mi) | |
131,899 km (81,958 mi) | |
Major District Roads | 467,763 km (290,654 mi) |
Rural and Other Roads | 2,650,000 km (1,650,000 mi) |
Total Length | 3,300,000 km (2,050,000 mi) (Approx) |
Now to handle this situation we have a limited number of traffic policemen and it becomes virtually impossible for the traffic department to check all vehicles manually whether they have proper papers or not or if the vehicle is driven by a genuine driving license holder.
Then the biggest obstacle in front of the traffic police of smaller cities comes when they are posted at posh areas where half of the vehicles are Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) or Multi-Utility Vehicles (MUV) category and are driven by goons belonging to different political parties with respective party flag fluttering in front of the vehicles. The transport department is well aware of the fact that among these vehicles many could be stolen, others will be having no valid papers, a few without proper registration number plate. These are the vehicles whose occupants are involved in crimes. There are problems but then there are solutions too, and the nation has to find answers on its own.
Problems:
a) The rising number of smoke belching vehicles during the rush hours has left the traffic policemen gasping for a whiff of fresh air. They are badly affected by the evils of air pollution and a majority of them are either suffering from some ear, nose or throat (ENT) problem or have problems of burning eyes, dizziness, lung infection etc.
b) The high density of vehicles in metros is also responsible for the rise in the number of road accidents.
c) Traffic jams is another area where precious man hours get wasted and if anyone is heading for a hospital in case of an emergency, then the patient can only look upto God for mercy.
d) The area for parking vehicles, in metros especially is constantly shrinking under pressure from the rising number of cars and bikes.
e) Driving by children i.e. persons under the age of 18 and who obtain driving licence by greasing the palms of authorities or through Regional Transport Office (RTO) agents after submitting forged documents regarding their proof of age, further adds a new dimension to the already aggravated problem of traffic, which has already slipped out from the hands of traffic police department.
f) In cities, cases of road rage are common and many of the people involved in such duels were either brutally assaulted and left injured or were killed by the angry vehicle owner whose vehicle got damaged.
g) Traffic jams result in waste of precious oil (petrol and diesel) over which the government is already in a fix. Thanks to its rising prices in the international market.
h) Rising vehicular traffic is also being held responsible for global warming.
i) Last but not the least, the problem arising out of all these factors results in putting extra money in the wear and tear of vehicles.
Solutions:
a) Traffic police department must use technology for controlling and monitoring the movement of vehicles at important and busy crossroads for which the department officials can take the help of Close Circuit Television (CCTV).
b) Drives should be launched to educate masses to drive in their respective lanes only and to follow traffic signals strictly. Violation of which should result in challan and if the offence is found to be repeated then the driving license of the person should be cancelled.
c) Check on minor-driving and in this regard amendment should be introduced in the Motors Vehicle Act, and parents of such minors should be punished with a sentence of at least a month in jail.
d) Public transport, like the Metro and state of the art buses, should be increased in all major cities to deal with the rising number of vehicles on roads.
e) Pollution check of vehicles by the owners on regular intervals can contribute a lot in saving the environment from air pollution.
f) We must encourage our children to drive bicycles and walk short distance.
g) Finally, the government must give encouragement to battery bikes, autos and cars to handle the growing demand for oil.
Recently, during the new year, the Thane Traffic Department celebrated the TRAFFIC WEEK which commenced from 1st Jan 2011 and concluded on 15th of Jan 2011. This programme had street plays at various colleges in Thane and Bhiwandi. This street play was performed by the
The project, HAMARI BHIWANDI- SURSKSHIT BHIWANDI, which was started in April 2010, brought remarkable changes in the road traffic situation of Bhiwandi. Before April, we were used to an accident news daily. But since July the accident rates started decreasing and today rarely we get to hear about any accident in Bhiwandi. People have started using helmets to ensure- Sir salamat, to pagdi hazar. Minor driving has been reduced to a remarkable extent. People avoid using cell phones while driving vehicles. In short, we can now feel successful for inculcating Vehicular discipline among the Bhiwandi-ites. We’ll be continuing this ‘Prayas’ till we witness a satisfactory change. I hereby invite one and all to join hands with us and not just Bhiwandi, let’s make the whole country a safe and enjoyable place for driving.
THANK YOU!
