Having tried to beat sense into the road users, and failed, the Delhi Traffic Police now wants to try and send the message home with some tenderness. A team of traffic police has come up with a novel idea. Upon tracking a violator, the traffic police, Instead of fishing out challan books, now doles out goodies. Plus, some advise on how to follow rules. Now, two days down the experiment, the result, we are told, has been mixed. People were mostly surprised. Some shamed. Some got into a quarrel. But, considering a beginning has been made, the traffic police feels that Delhi’s rogue drivers will hopefully learn a lesson.
But, this is what the Delhi Traffic Police feels. What do you think of the drive? Do you think this Gandhigiri will work? Or is it just another gimmick? What’s your take?
2 Comments
June 19, 2008 at 5:25 pm
I think that the Police department is doing a great job but i suppose its useless. The delhities are those who instead of repeating won’t understand. Let us take the example like the traffic police repeatedly reminds us to wear a helmet always anywhere travelling. The Traffic department is saying this not only now but since years and u see none of the drivers followed it. Perhaps the traffic department also said that the drivers would not talk on the phone or smoke while travelling this but tell me how many of us have stopped this. How many of us have stooped talking on the phone while travelling. I to have observed that now people have taken new ideas like hiding their phone in their helmets so that the traffic police would not catch them. The traffic police would just not become like spoon feeding the citizens and ensure that everyone wears and follow the rules. Till now many of the drivers do not drive properly in fact rashly and still do not follow the traffic rules. This is redeculious we ourselves do not follow traffic rules and point out the police for this. This gandigiri will just not work and perhaps will not in future. Only the strict laws can make the citizens realize that they are supposed to be wearing the helmets for their benefits. The citizens should be left what ever they want when accidents would take place then only they would understand the importance.
June 22, 2008 at 9:36 pm
On paper, such a plan seems captivating, but it is practically of limited use.
It is an encouraging thought to reward the drivers following traffic rules faultlessly as a symbol of appreciation, but on the other hand it is certainly a bad idea to let off the violators with a kind memorandum & hoping that they’d follow traffic rules in the future, which is never going to be the case, & it’d actually take the fear of the police out of the drivers.
The situation is as if someone would slaughter someone & the police gives them a word or two on why murder is bad & let him off.
Shelling out money, however more or less still pinches the common man, thus making him realize that impeding his worthless actions on road could save money big time.
It’d be much better if the cops rather opt to educate people while handing out the challan itself, it is at all times going to have much more impact than the futile teacher-gyan type of stuff.
Shouvanik Dey
Delhi