Contractors not fixing bad roads to face music: Reddy

Amidst the worsening gridlocks on Bengaluru’s roads, the city’s traffic police is getting new helmsman, raising hopes that new perspectives could bring Bengalureans some respite.

Karthik Reddy, Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Bengaluru, told DH in an interview that his priority is to streamline coordination among stakeholders, ensure stricter law enforcement, and bring greater transparency to the system.

Excerpts:

Construction works undertaken by various civic agencies across the city have added to the already pathetic traffic situation. Any plans to address it?

For any construction or works on the roads, it is mandatory to get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for a specific period of time from the traffic police. The rule states that after the completion of the said work, the road should be asphalted. However, in the last few years, the debris and dug up roads being left without a fix have led to accidents and traffic congestion. To put an end to this, we have started issuing notices to contractors of the civic agencies involved and private entities who have taken permission in the last one year to complete the work in seven days or they would be backlisted.

Transparency in the traffic police has been a major concern. What specific measures are you planning to ensure there is transparency? 

I have strictly instructed all policemen to be on the field by 7 am and all the officers including myself to hit the road by 8.30 am to ensure smooth traffic flow in the peak hours. We are posting personnel at all the 15 entry points to the city to stop the heavy moving vehicles from entering the city between 7 am and 10 am and to record the number of vehicles entering. Though there is a government order in this regard, it needs stricter enforcement.

The IT corridor is both the major contributor and victim of the traffic mess. Do you have any targeted plans for them?

Yes, particularly in Bellandur area, which houses major tech parks like EcoSpace and EcoWorld, we plan to install Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to monitor the number of vehicles entering that stretch. We are engaging with companies in the area to arrive at a reasonable solution to reduce congestion.

There has been prolonged uncertainty about the return of towing vehicles in the city. Is the department planning on starting using them anytime soon? If so, how will the department manage the operational costs?

Ideally, the towing of vehicles should start in less than a month. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is lending 10 towing vehicles each for one division of the city. The towing will be manned by the BBMP and police personnel will be provided by us. Fines will be issued by both, in coordination. 

Despite the deployment of AI-based systems at major traffic junctions in Bengaluru, congestion remains largely unchanged. Are there plans to upgrade these systems for better efficiency, or is the department considering an altogether different approach to managing traffic flow?

The new AI-based systems are dependent on Machine Learning. Over a period of time the machine will understand as to the time required at each junction and act on it. This will help in efficiently decongesting the traffic patterns.