Some realities are unimaginable until we see it and get frozen at the sight. Yesterday many of us were so unfortunate to witness the collapse of a traffic constable who was working under very severe conditions, controlling the traffic at a busy junction of the “Venice of the East”. His is not the singular story. The whole lot of traffic cops is facing the same problems. The higher-ups provided traffic umbrellas with comfortable seating facility at junctions are inaccessible luxury for them, as they have to be on the streets to tackle roadblocks.
It seems that the traffic constables are taken as a group to bear and suffer the extremes as a part of their job. The whole lot of traffic personnel across the country work in similar conditions every day, as duty on busy roads is quite tiring as they have to stand and move constantly under the beating sun. During the rush hours the situation becomes worse as they are exposed to both pollution and heat. The particulates make the road very hot. Though most of the important junctions have automatic signals installed, these electronic traffic signal systems faint under the burning heat of the sun, making the poor traffic personnel stand on the road as the flow is disrupted. With a whistle between his lips and hands moving in all possible ways for the safety and well being of others, he is always looked down upon and abused by the riders and drivers.
Traffic constables play a crucial role in maintaining traffic. In fact, without their efficient services it is next to impossible to keep the traffic function smoothly. At the same time, it is equally true that they are subjected to job related stress, which sometimes become unbearable for them. They must work in all manner of lighting conditions, ranging from bright sunlight and blue skies to dark nights with no street lighting. They undergo frequent encounter belligerent, violent, intoxicated and annoyed clients.
In any place, a common man’s life moves along with its traffic. But he fails to think that life becomes smooth and less stressful only if the traffic is smooth. The traffic police, especially the constables play a significant role to keep the traffic moving where the population density is very high. The constables’ physical and psychological well-being is a crucial factor for enhancing their work efficiency.
The traffic population has grown ten times in the last two decades and the number of traffic policemen has remained almost the same. Imagine the job where one has to stand in the middle of hundreds of noisy and polluting vehicles throughout the working day. Stress among policemen would manifest in the form of fatigue, depression, inability to concentrate and impulsive behaviour. These danger signals are quite common among the traffic policemen whose nature of work is such that they hardly can maintain their normal health.
A traffic constable occupies the lowest rung in the hierarchy of the police department but he is often regarded as the most important foot soldier of the police force, whose importance is unique, especially to the metropolis. Sadly, this uniqueness has rarely been highlighted or recognised. Maintaining traffic is an acquired skill, an art form which comes after years of spending a lot of time on the busiest streets and dealing day in and day out with a whole lot of situations. Only physical agility is not enough to deal with and find a solution for problems on the roads, presence of mind is very important along with adroitness.
The routine is followed throughout the day, with different problems and situations arising. But for anyone standing for such long hours on the road, facing the hazards created by man under the blistering sun on the job, as well as a host of different situations to handle can be physically draining. Even going to the bathroom is a complicated task. Officials have to resort to using public toilets in a mosque or hospital. These inconveniences combine to make their job a terrible ordeal,not to mention the health risks. The smoke emitted by vehicles is inhaled by traffic policemen all day. As a result, more and more officers are contracting breathing problems and related diseases. Even face masks, the only preventive tools used by traffic policemen, are bought out of their own pockets.
Besides battling frightening traffic, handling irate drivers and chasing insolent teenagers, the traffic police officials have no benefits, resources or facilities to make their job easier. Everyone is quick to slander the traffic police, accusing them of all ranges of corruption, but they, officials at the lower rung of command, have nothing to do with these allegations. Lack of efforts on the part of the police department, to make their job easier, is only adding to their woes.
