JMC, Traffic Deptt pass buck on each other
Vikas Sharma
JAMMU, Dec 11: Though, the much-hyped Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) has been made operational at many locations in Jammu city, but most of these light signals at many important junctions are lying defunct and the Traffic department as well as the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) both of which are responsible for maintaining these signals are passing bucks at each other.
The locations where this intelligent system has been installed include Bikram Chowk, Asia Crossing, Railway Crossing (Div Com Office), Indira Chowk, Shakuntala Chowk, Vigilance Rotary, Amphalla Chowk, High Court road Janipur, Jewel Chowk, Valmiki Chowk, Gujjar Nagar Chowk, RBI Turn and Main Stop Gandhi Nagar, but at many junctions these traffic lights are non-functional and the authorities concerned are least bothered about to repair them.
The motive behind installing these smart traffic lights at these crossings was to meet objectives of traffic monitoring, ensure less waiting time for motorists due to fast response time, excellent operations during emergency situations, increasing the traffic handling capacity, and more effectively checking jamming on the roads.
Few days ago, the newly appointed Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, who also expressed his serious concern over the increasing road accidents and loss of many precious lives due to negligent driving, has also asked the Traffic Police to draft a more result-oriented plan of action to bring respite to commuters besides reducing the occurrence of mishaps on the roads for saving the precious lives of the people.
“The claims made by the authorties about the improvement of traffic system in Jammu city are mere eyewash as many traffic signals on vital junctions are lying defunct and the authorities have failed to repair these lights, due to which many commuters are losing their precious lives,” said Manohar Lal Sharma, a commuter.
“The purpose of installation of Intelligent Lighting System in Jammu city could not be achieved as at most of the places these lights are put on off mode while some are showing only the yellow lights, which results in the chaos and confusion among the people,” he said and asked, “what is the use to install these advanced traffic lights, when most of them are dysfunctional, thus forcing the Traffic Police to manually regulate vehicular movement?”
The dysfunctional traffic lights are an issue of grave concern and has become irritating for the patients as even the ambulances are often seen stuck in the traffic jam at the junction, risking lives of patients because the Traffic Police personnel, deputed there for maintaining the smooth flow of traffic also feel helpless to make the way for the ambulances carrying patients at these specific junctions.
Talking to the Excelsior, SSP Traffic Jammu City, M. Fiesel Qureshi, said, “It is not the duty of Traffic Department to maintain these signals, it is the duty of JMC, so they can better tell or give the suitable reason behind the dysfunctional traffic lights in Jammu city.”
When contacted, JMC Commissioner, Rahul Yadav, told the Excelsior that “to maintain these traffic lights are not among the subjects or duties of JMC. Our responsibility was only to install these lights and we installed them successfully, but to operating and maintaining these lights is the duty of Traffic Department and they have to perform their duties.”
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