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Meeting with Mr Praveen Sood (ACP Bangalore Traffic Police)
Written By Rithesh - 23 July, 2008
Traffic Bangalore Bangalore Praja environment TransportationWG BTRAC Action Praveen Sood
[Update July 25 6:15 pm : Just called their office and checked, the meeting is still on. Morning 10:30 AM , Venue: Mr Sood's office at "BMTC Complex 2nd Floor, Shivajinagar Bus Stand, Bangalore-560057"]
Following up on the Transportation Work Group meeting last weekend, Praja will be meeting Mr Praveen Sood, ACP (Traffic). The meeting is tentatively scheduled at 10:30 AM, 26th July (this Saturday).
Mr Praveen Sood, a 1987 batch IPS officer is an alumnus of IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore.
Members can participate in this event either by joining the team that will meet Mr Sood or by posting suggestions and question here so that we can take them up with Mr Praveen Sood. We may not be able to accomodate more than 8-10 people, so we will have to pick if more than than many want to come.
This being our first meeting with Mr Praveen Sood or with the Bangalore Traffic Police, let us try and understand them - their views, policies, difficulties in handling problems, their interactions with other bodies (BBMP, BDA, RTO), issues around their jurisdictions etc.
Let us not be confrontational. Our basic philosophy should be to study the current model, understand its drawbacks and suggest feasible changes. I suggest in this meeting we gather information from Mr Sood regarding these issues, put them up here and work out solutions. Praja’s strength is in understanding current models and suggesting changes backed up with good research.
Your questions could also focus on BTRAC project, in which Mr Praveen Sood happens to be a key person.
If you have any suggestion on how we could build a working relationship with the traffic police please post them here.
-Rithesh (with inputs from Praveen)
COMMENTS
Cadambi avare'
Marshals idea is a lot different from the 'warden' programme currently on, as also the one suggested by you. If you go through the text, you'll understand. I would like to believe that this will have a better impact than the others - it's of course just an opinion.
Muralidhar Rao
Thanks for setting this up Rithesh. I am in.
Don't know if this meeting will be ripe for this many questions, but over time, I want to understand how they work and what their issues are. We never get to hear their side. Without that, how can one even make suggestions. We want to know things like:
- Manpower - need vs what they have
- Bangalore traffic police's budget tday vs 5 and 10 years ago.
- What statistical methods do they emplo. Like: Do they look at PCU (vehicle density) when deciding to putting extra cops on certain roads
- How is the performance of Traffic cops monitored? What 'real' incentives do the traffic cops have to perform well or do anything pro-active?
- Range or diferential in pay between the lowest rung cop, and the top most people.
- Any plans to make FIR/complaints registeropen and public over Internet for all to see?
- How current are RTO databases (vehicle registration number to owner's address linkage)? Who owns this database? Who owns the Drivers License database? By who I mean which person or entity
- What is their mechanism of working with vehicle insurance companies
- Working conditions of cops - pollution, risk, working hours
idontspam - 23 July, 2008 - 11:52
Is there a way to figure out from Mr Sood who are the organizations responsible for the following 3 functions and how they coordinate between themselves.
1. Traffic Planning - Where roads will be built and how wide and how many lanes they will have etc.
2. Traffic Engineering - Road markings, dividers, cats eyes, signage, buffer/center/turn lanes etc.
3. Traffic Enforcement - monitoring and imposing fines
My assumption is that traffic police is only responsible for the 3rd but I think there are some activities falling in 1 and 2 also being done by them what are those?
- What is the contribution of the traffic police on traffic engineering?
- Do they have plans to ask and take on traffic engineering responsibilities?
- Who regulates traffic schools and do they have any say on the licensing procedure?
- Why dont they have laws to impound licenses?
- What will it take to insert into law arrests for multiple traffic violations? Do they have plans to do the above?
- Who are they working with to have training on traffic rules imparted?
The last point is important because Mr sood on Radio Indigo today when asked by the host if the violations are a result of inadequate knowledge or lack of application responded that he didnt believe the people in silicon city do not know the rules. I am sorry but we cant assume everybody in Silicon City have gone abroad and driven in better managed countries. Especially the yellow board mafia.
Good Job Rithesh setting up such a meeting.
Some questions that could be included.
1. Driver training (in terms of civic sense - respect for the other road users including pedestrians) - does anybody pay any attention to this or are drivers even taught about it?
2. Feasibility of Drivers Licenses of different grades - learners, secondary roads, highways etc. (following models of other countries - Germany, Canada, UK etc.)
3. Since possibly 90% or more of vehicles on Indian Roads are driven by non-owners, are/can owners/contractors (in case of contract vehicles such as cabs, trucks, buses etc.) be held responsible for the actions of the driver?
All the Best to all who attend.
Ram
Traffic Warden - Similar programme
mcadambi - 23 July, 2008 - 17:46
Muralidharavare,
I had sometime back suggested a similar programme of hiring ex-servicemen as traffic wardens. They could be funded by a cess on all petrol and diesel sold within BBMP limits. Atleast 20 wardens per ward is a good way to go ahead.
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