COMMENTS

The High Court on Monday directed the City Police Commissioner to ensure free flow of traffic on Thyagaraja Nagar First Main Road.

Disposing of a public interest litigation, the division bench of acting Chief Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee and Justice B V Nagarathna also directed the city police commissioner to ensure free movement of traffic at similar roads across the city.

The division bench asked, “Has any god asked that a temple be built and pooja be performed on the public road?”

Before this, Petitioner Prashanth Rao argued that due to the activities of a local Panduranga temple, traffic on First Main Road has been closed for three days and this happens every time there is a religious function. Rao also claimed the temple was built on the road and vehicles were being parked right in front of houses. He further argued that the sound of loudspeakers caused discomfort to his ailing mother, who had undergone surgery.

For the full text of the report in the New Indian Express, click here.

Enough instances have been cited in this blog, in the past (just scroll up), about courts, both in the state as well as at the Centre, issuing similar directions.

Instances have also been cited about city administrations clearing/ re-locating shrines to allow for smooth flow of traffic, and, in some cases, the shrine administrations doing it on their own too, the best example being Jabalpur (cited in the opening post).

So, what more does the Commissioner need now? He has been seen to be most pro-active in many aspects of policing, more specifically in terms of citizen engagement through social media. As such, when the citizens are demanding that the roads be cleared of these largely mafia operations in the name of God, backed additionally by the courts' repeated rulings, one hopes he'll now go all out and do what is needed of him.

The same, if not more, holds true for the footpaths too, where too the courts have issued enough and more directives (check here) to clear all obstructions, hazards and encroachments, and the Commissioner had taken on the ownership too (check here).

Citizens eagerly await action now.

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Considering that all the critial footpaths have not yet been cleared of the rubble, I'lll be amazed if they even begin to remove the religious structures from the roads.

Yes, one fine day, with much fanfare one of the most controversial structures of them all could be cleared to instigate a riot with the intention of engineering a stay.

QED

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Late comment Ramesh, but saw this just today. Thanks for sharing.

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Hi

Well, I hope you get a response from Dr. Saleem. I doubt anything is going to ever happen in Bangalore. There is just no political will and too much corruption.

Ramesh

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Thanks Ramesh for sharing this. It's just amazing. I have sent a mail worded as below to Dr Saleem, IPS, Addl Commissioner, Traffic. I shall be sending similar letters to the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and others too, soon.

Please organise a screening of this 18 minutes video clip on the action taken by Jabalpur city in clearing all places of worship from public places for the City Corporators, and thereafter, follow it up with action similar to what Jabalpur has already done. For your information, Sir, there are enough and more Karnataka High Court rulings in this regard too, like the one here (there are plenty more too).

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