Sitting in his office, surrounded by house plants and a lineup of 32 televisions displaying real-time traffic flow at all major junctions, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) G. Sudheer Babu seemed relaxed as the vehicular flow was smooth at 5 p.m.
The Hyderabad Traffic Police, in the thick of reorganising the jurisdiction along with the Hyderabad City Police, last week got 13 new traffic police stations, and DCP Traffic District was made a dedicated zone.
Mr. Sudheer Babu, the 16th incumbent in the office, heads a traffic force of 2,500 personnel with a median age of 41. The force handles about 80 lakh vehicles, with an average of one police personnel for every 3,000 vehicles.
“Hyderabad will never become Bengaluru in terms of traffic congestion; HTP is the best traffic police in the country,” he says, speaking to The Hindu in an exclusive interaction.
About the strategies employed to ease traffic
We are following the ‘EEE model’ – Engineering, Education and Enforcement. With operation ROPE (Removal of Obstructive Parking & Encroachments) and drives against illegal use of sirens, and wrong-side driving, change is being witnessed.
Optimum utilisation of road space by creating additional passages by placing cones, such as at Rasoolpura, Masab Tank and Rd. No 45, for peak hour traffic.
We are asking commuters to take shortcuts or roads less travelled through flexies and banners, like the one at Mehdipatnam and St. John’s, Secunderabad.
For the first time, in addition to provisions under the Motor Vehicles Act, we are also invoking IPC S. 341 (wrongful restraint). We do not have any targets to book violations; the duty is to instil discipline.
What traffic engineering measures are taken?
Roads and their conditions, wherever unsuitable for plying or posing a danger, are being corrected or re-engineered. The removal of police sub-control, a few poles and the opening of free lefts at Purana Pul has decongested the whole area.
Similarly, rumble strips. They are a better solution than speed breakers to reduce speed and put a check on drowsy drivers. We will ensure they are correctly laid and reduce the thickness for newer ones.
We are also monitoring the 65 black spots in the city. With multiple stakeholders, a new initiative, Road Accident Analysis Group, investigates an accident in 360 degrees and records mistakes for correction.
With a steep rise in vehicular population and limited transportation buses, will Hyderabad become another Bengaluru?
Hyderabad is expanding almost to the district borders, and roads are easily connected, unlike Bengaluru, which, although it has a large fleet of buses, also has many four-wheelers.
Under SRDP, 27 flyovers have come up in the three police Commissionerates. Hyderabad will never meet the fate of Bengaluru because our vision and development pattern are different. We have the best of resources from the government. The force is efficient in terms of knowledge, experience and taking initiative.
People should also think about and opt for public transportation.
New initiatives, infrastructure for the department
Our social media engagement delivers results, and mimes, skits and public education groups perform at railway and bus stations. Soon, we will launch body-worn cameras, advanced wireless communication, and technical support with the fusion centre at Integrated Command Control Centre, and pelican signals and pedestrian islands are being developed.
