Chief Minister N. Biren Singh nodes to convert all noisy diesel auto into the electrified engine during his speech in the ongoing State Assembly budget session is an indication of his enthusiasm to make Imphal city a noise-free city. Diesel Auto which is the most convenient public transport in Imphal city is also a vehicle that irritated almost all common people not because of its unbearable engine noise but also because of the way that rode and parked in an unorganized manner. Saying so the traffic regulations say nothing about how diesel auto or any other vehicle should be on the road except mentioning some allotted parking area. It is no violation of traffic regulation if a vehicle takes up another riding ahead but a parallel ride disturbing the smooth flow of traffic is common in the street of Imphal. Moreover, the concern government department had made no separate lane for heavy or medium vehicle and neither there is no commercial lane allotted for a small-medium passenger vehicle. Cycle lovers which are good for health and serve the environment, as well as road traffic, were discouraged in Imphal city as the risk for hitting by costly and luxurious vehicles leaving aside the passenger vehicles where the number is unbearable by the present streets in Imphal.
Overbridge has been constructed in the middle of Imphal city to reduced the traffic volume, recently four-foot bridges had been constructed for conveniences of the predestined, but still, the traffic in Imphal is not improving.
Should we blame the traffic police or should it be the regulations that are responsible for the traffic chaos in Imphal city? Without taking in-depth to the regulations or to the functioning of the traffic police common men observe something seriously wrong with the people riding vehicles in the street of Imphal. The traffic problem is being left only with those in the traffic police and no law enforcers of either the state government or the center had ever extended assistant to the traffic police. Many a time policemen on duty simply stood and watch the traffic police running here and there to make the road clear. These traffic police sometimes face humiliation if the traffic violators happened to be some people holding superior posts or sons or daughters or say relatives of persons holding high profile government jobs.
The Chief Minister, who is also in charge of the Home department, should definitely prepare a mechanism to make sure that control for traffic flow should also be supported by every law enforcers by assisting the traffic police anywhere and at any place. Let the traffic police who is controlling the movement of the vehicle be a constable at rank, the Assistant Sub Inspector or sub –Inspector provide all possible help taking his command when on duty. For example, the parking lot at Wahengbam Leikai area in Imphal is always seen controlled by one or two traffic police when civil police were also seen on duty near the site. If the civil police in consultation with the traffic police on duty, the congestion could have been reduced.
Violation of traffic violations is also a crime and every police personnel should co-ordinate control such violation by empowering the traffic police.
Saying so the conversion of diesel auto with the electrified engine is indeed a good idea, however, it should not hurt the sentiment of those living on Diesel Auto by putting them financial burdens.
