| Finally, PHQ bears cost of CCTV cameras on 'primitive' traffic signal lights | | | Sumit Sharma
Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 16: Installed by the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) way back on August 4, 2012 , the Police Head Quarters (PHQ) finally bore the cost of CCTV cameras to be installed on the traffic signal lights city.
The looking after of the traffic regulation was cause of concern as number of agencies viz JMC, MVD and Road and Building (R&B) were reluctant to bear its cost as eyebrows started raising on the primitive traffic signal lights soon after its installation.
Acting on the PHQ's directions the traffic police got the CCTV cameras installed at ten rotaries and Chowks. These including Satwari, Dogra Chowk, Bikram Chowk,Narwal Bala, Bathindi Chowk near Wave Mall, Residency Road, Indira Chowk ,Gandhi Nagar while two have been left with the SSP Traffic, Jammu and SP Traffic Jammu for keeping check on spot violations.
The initiative was taken by police to curb the jumping of traffic lights which has emerged as major violation. To regulate the traffic on busy City roads the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) had installed the traffic signals at 40 chowks in the City and its outskirts at an estimated cost of Rs 250 lakh. The company Omaxe was given the project for installation of traffic signals in Jammu under the supervision of Jammu Municipal Corporation. Earlier also, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by Aditya Singh and Bali Ram seeking directions to the police to install CCTV cameras on traffic signals. In the PIL, it was stated that more than ten lakhs people have lost their lives due to road accidents in the last ten years and in 2013 about 1,40,000 people were killed and around five lakhs were seriously injured or permanently disabled.
Meanwhile, taking strong cognizance of violators of traffic signal lights installed at number of places , Inspector General of Police Traffic, Viplav Kumar, on Saturday exhorted upon the department to make sure that these rules are strictly adhered to by the people. "It is quite unfortunate that some people jump the red lights at the crossings which not only causes inconvenience to law abiding road users but sometime results even in fatal accidents", the IGP maintained, adding, during drive against Red Light jumping, the Traffic Police shall also take into possession the driving licence of the violator and forward it to the Transport Department for suspending the licence for a period not less than three months". |
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