Trained traffic cops or glorified watchmen?

Motorists, experts question move of hiring private security guards to regulate traffic in the city to make up for 30 per cent shortfall in traffic police department

IN the land of BPOs, outsourcing doesn't really come as a surprise to many. But, the increasing trend of the Mumbai Traffic Police and the MMRDA hiring people from private security agencies to regulate traffic in the city continues to be a grey area.



While the traffic department, which is struggling with a depleted force because of 30 per cent of crucial posts lying vacant, and the MMRDA justify the outsourcing citing the number of traffic diversions due to infrastructure projects, motorists and experts are questioning whether the recruits, called traffic wardens, are trained enough to do such a vital task.

MMRDA officials say the authority began hiring wardens to manage traffic two years ago, when projects like the Metro, monorail, Lalbaug flyover and the numerous skywalks started simultaneously. The traffic department had expressed its inability to provide cops to direct traffic at the various diversions and that was when this plan was chalked out.

Today, there are around 450 such personnel directing traffic across the city.

"The MMRDA hires contractors to recruit the wardens, who undergo training in directing and regulating traffic with the Mumbai Traffic Police. The wardens report to the contractors, who, in turn, report to the MMRDA," said Nandkumar Chougule, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

A senior traffic official said the traffic wardens do not have powers to penalise motorists for offences and are simply there to ensure that the flow of traffic continues uninterrupted.u00a0 He said the department trains them in traffic management for four to five months at the traffic institute in Bandra and the traffic parks at Cuffe Parade and Ghatkopar.

"Given that we are already understaffed, the traffic wardens come in really handy and help us regulate traffic in the city," he said.

Motorists' take

While some motorists are happy with the arrangement and say the traffic wardens actually help reduce traffic disruptions, others say they have their doubts about their ability to function properly given the limited amount of training they get and because they lack teeth to take action against offenders.

"When these traffic wardens had just been hired, motorists mistook them for actual policemen given the similarity in uniforms and followed their orders to the T.

Lately, however, I have noticed people ignoring them and jumping signals in their presence. What's the point of them being around if they can't take action against offenders?" asked Nitu Nair, who travels from Andheri to Sion in her car everyday.

"Who's to say whether these traffic wardens are actually qualified or are just glorified security guards? How can the authorities entrust the safety of motorists into their hands?" asked Manish Mukherjee, who owns a bike.

Sudhir Badami, transport expert, said, "While traffic wardens are useful if properly trained, they are not the answer to the city's traffic woes. We require something on the lines of the Bus Rapid Transport System to ensure that traffic flows freely."

Volunteers
The traffic police has also been approached by volunteers willing to regulate traffic in the city. These unpaid volunteers undergo the same training as traffic wardens and report to the traffic police. Currently, there are nearly 45 such people manning junctions across the city.

450
The number of traffic wardens in the city