FIND THE TRAFFIC WARDENS TO PLAY THEIR ROLE!
(This Wednesday column was published in O’ Herald O’ Panjim Goa recently)
TRAFFIC WARDENS by statute form an integral part of Road Safety to reiterate the role of public participation in Road Safety. But the irony is that it works somewhere at sometimes and it does not work elsewhere and other times!
Citizens from all walks of life join the traffic warden service for developing the Road Safety Standards in each State/Location. Being a voluntary force, there is no remuneration for the wardens from the Government.
Traffic warden system functions in different models in different parts of
Traffic warden duties are perceived and planned in different segments as per the vision of the Traffic Commissioner and the Chief Traffic Warden. Certain roles and responsibilities are bound to stay put with the traffic warden, in view of the nature of the commitment and also the need of the State.
It has always been the theme that though it is a voluntary Organisation, only joining and leaving are voluntary; Serving is compulsory!
How to create a system:
In the Goan scenario, one should conceive the vision for a viable traffic warden system, that should work effectively as a supportive system to the Traffic Police and the Home Guards. Hats off to the Home Guards of Goa, who do a yeoman service in regulating the traffic flow.
Traffic Warden system, in
Let us clearly understand that Traffic Police is a job and Home Guards is an assignment. Traffic warden is a passion. It is essential to enrol those who have their dreams for Road Safety and Free service. Traffic warden is not a post; it is a mission. Traffic warden, though appointed by the Traffic Police with age of retirement and other conditions, one remains a traffic warden throughout his/her life.
Traffic warden system everywhere is expected to be honorary with no regular pay or remunerations. All the expenses including the cost of uniform and transport, refreshments, rewards, functions are borne by the concerned wardens from their own pockets! Apart from this, some of the wardens have constituted Apex Bodies to take care of the administration and command which is self financed by the monthly contributions of the Wardens as one does in Lions or Rotary Club.At the most, in some traffic warden systems, the Government reimburses the Administrative expenses of the correspondence of Warden Apex Body.
Activities of the Traffic Warden should be complementary to the Traffic Police Roles as a supportive NGO system. It should be clearly understood by the Police as well as the prospective Wardens that it is not a parallel or substitute system, to compete with the routine functions of the Traffic Police.
There are always two opinions about the wearing of uniforms by the warden and also about challan issue for traffic violations.
Uniform plays a vital role in the visibility of traffic wardens on road. Discipline within the system is also a major factor determining the functioning. Once uniform is introduced, the Parade and Signal Drill form a greater part of the teaching syllabus. In the long run, the traffic warden system is spotted by the uniform that it sports and the discipline that it displays through the marchpast and turnout.
Though voluntary, the warden system should also sustain a self proclaimed Cadre Discipline, Reward and Punishment system, as is essential to any organisation. Similarly, the system does not come directly under the Police for day to day administration and duty charts, as it would defeat the purpose of bringing in a supportive system to the traffic police. Where Traffic warden increases the existing the workload of the traffic officers, the system is bound to collapse and relapse into a counter productive one.
Issue of challans by traffic warden is an acceptable fact once the legality of giving evidence at the trial court to face challenges in the Court. To overcome this situation practices were also introduced to get the challan pre-signed by a police officer. In a few states, the traffic warden is appointed as a special police officer (SPO), and are vested with him/her certain powers, directly.
Types of traffic warden duties happen to be another area of concentration. It is a time tested device to deploy traffic warden in the areas of Education, Engineering and finally Enforcement, as enforcement is the primary domain of the traffic police.It has been found very wise to deploy the traffic warden on roads during non police hours and nopolice zones. This makes the traffic police and the warden independent as well as interdependent on each other to the extent of Road Safety and Traffic Management.
RSP-Road Safety Patrols directly come under the guardianship of Traffic Warden where the nurturing the projects is of prime concern. Similarly, the training of the Children as well as the Teachers at Schools on Road Safety, is directly the concern of Traffic Warden.
It is always believed that the traffic police could feel the benefits arising out of divesting certain of its functions to the Traffic Warden and RSP, would go a long way in displaying of Quality Policing.
This is not all! Commitment from the Police on nurturing and projecting an outfit for social participation in the cause of Road Safety, with proper checks and balances in the system, takes the front seat.
Cautionary words: Dispel all your inhibitions and inferences on the Traffic Warden System, before giving a try. Please involve only those who really have a dream to work towards Road Safety. REMEMBER ONE MORE THING: Traffic warden is not a panacea for all the traffic evils!*
By :
| Formerly Dy.Chief Traffic Warden, Formerly Traffic Warden, Presently associated with Mr.Gurunath Kelekar (MARG) of Task Force and also advising Goa Police for Traffic Management and also in the  constitution of the Traffic Warden Organisation at Flat No.4, EL Capitan Centre Second Floor, Feira Alta, MAPUCA 403 507 E-Mail: nchandrasekharan@indiatimes. |
Dear Friends, I am a Road Safety Practitioner since the year 1980. I had the privilege of serving the Traffic Warden Organisations at Madras and at Bangalore for a long tenure. I am a contributor to the newspapers in Goa on Road Safety and other subjects and the Road Safety Weekly columns have earned me a lot of readers and followers for Road Safety Mission. I had the privilege of presenting my suggestions and published articles before the Hon'ble Parliamentary Standing Committee for the amendment of motor vehicles act, on the 4th October 2007. Details of which cannot be shared at present due to the secrecy considerations. However, I am of the opinion that there should be a standard approach all over India to have Citizen Participation in Road Safety and Traffic Management, mainly to focus on Education and Engineering while leaving the enforcement to the Police personnel. I am attaching a published article in the recent weekly column in O herald O of Panjim, Goa. Please send me your feedback and also for any of my role in providing a Safety Circle all over the Indian Roads. "BEHIND EVERY WORK THERE IS A HUMAN ELEMENT"  "LENS" |
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