Rain brings cheer to many, but more work for traffic police

The arrival of rains in the city brought relief from the scorching heat for everyone but doubled the work of traffic policemen since Monday.

With inundation being reported on many major roads, flyovers, and underpasses across the city with every downpour, traffic police are risking their lives to facilitate vehicular movement. Two policemen attached to R.T. Nagar traffic station escaped with minor injuries while clearing an uprooted tree during the rain when desperate motorcycle riders knocked them down in a bid to pass through the blocked roads on Wednesday.

“We are not trained for this job, but we have to do it to ensure free flow of traffic and ensure no traffic jams on the road,” a police officer who was clearing a tree fell on the busy R.T. Nagar road, said.

After repeated attempts to call the civic agency, the traffic police had to rope in heavy construction equipment to clear the tree. The traffic police personnel ae also equipped with basic tools to clear obstacles. “We used lathis to clear the clogged drains and plastic tubs to fill the potholes,” a police personnel said.

According to the traffic police advisory, water logging has been reported at 90 locations and tree falls at 120 locations across the city since Monday.  (Source: Special Arrangement)

On Thursday too, following rain accompanied by gusty winds, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) received complaints of 70 tree falls and 171 branch falls. Motorists faced inconvenience due to waterlogged roads in several areas.

“This is majorly due to clogged drainage and felling of trees due to road widening projects which have weakened the roots. Though it is not part of the traffic police’s job to clear clogged drains and uprooted trees, the police have to do it to ensure the smooth flow of traffic. We make sure that traffic is cleared on the road and normal before signing off, no matter how long it will take,“ a traffic police said.

Though there is a disaster management cell to look after these issues, road users have high expectations from the traffic police in emergency situations like these, the officer added.

According to the traffic police advisory, water logging has been reported at 90 locations and tree falls at 120 locations across the city since Monday. The traffic policemen are working extra hours to ensure the safety of road users, a senior police officer monitoring traffic control room said.