The Hindu Business Line : Call to ensure traffic discipline in Kolkata

THE road traffic scenario in Kolkata has improved in recent years, but much still remains to be done for improving roads and ensuring greater traffic discipline.

Participating in an interactive session organised by Concern for Calcutta here on Saturday, Mr Sudhangshu Seal, MP and also Member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban Development, stressed on the need for coordinated functioning of the State Government as also the various agencies including Kolkata Police, Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority and various NGOs.

It may be mentioned here that in a recent meeting with a delegation of Kolkata Nagarik Sammelan lead by Mr Seal, the Prime Minister has agreed to release the balance amount of Rs 172 crore for the Mega City project, which covers building of under-passes, widening of roads and improvements in the drainage system.

According to Mr Banibrata Basu, Joint Commissioner of Police - Traffic, Kolkata Police, the road space (matched with population density) in the city was only 6 per cent, compared to 23 per cent in Delhi and 17 per cent in Chennai, and to add to that, was the problem of hawkers and illegal occupants, which compels pedestrians to use roads.

Despite many constraints which are outside the purview of the Police, the number of road accidents in the city has been decreasing, he pointed out. Seeking public support for better enforcement of traffic rules, he expressed concern over processions - which numbered 630 in 2003, besides 236 cases of tram derailments.

Deliberating on the issue of Implementation of Euro-II (emission standard), Prof P.K. Bose of Jadavpur University, said that the emission testing centres were not equipped with multi-gas analysers, and "they also lack the capability to test vehicles for Bharat Stage-II compliance. He felt the polluting government vehicles too need to be phased out.

According to Mr Khokan Mookerji, President of Concern for Calcutta, poor roads and traffic bottlenecks were major constraints, hindering the city's progress, and have also created a negative image in people's minds. Drawing attention to the recent steep rise in road tax for various vehicles, and the different kinds of fines collected by the Police, Mr Narayan Jain, Member, Governing Body (2003-04) of Concern for Calcutta, said the public expected better roads and efficient traffic management.

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