By Sahil Makkar, IANS
New Delhi : At a time when public outrage against the Blueline buses is soaring with nearly 80 people killed this year, the Delhi Police chief says taming their errant drivers is not his “priority”.
“We can’t monitor every single Blueline bus plying on Delhi’s roads. Over five million vehicles travel in the capital daily and we have other important traffic related priorities to look after. Managing the vehicular flow and prosecuting law offenders is more important,” Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal told IANS in an interview.
Dadwal, who took over as the city’s police commissioner in July, also talked of the modernisation of his force and plans for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in 2010.
“What is more significant to know is the strength of traffic officials, and it is simply not possible for them to just run behind Blueline buses! At the same time they have to perform other traffic duties as well which are very important. Law and order on the city’s roads is the foremost priority, not Blueline buses,” he said.
But he said he had directed the deployment of at least 30 police control room (PCR) vans at several busy traffic intersections to the check violations of traffic rules by Blueline buses and motorists.
Dadwal said with the force at his disposal, it would be difficult to sustain a stringent traffic drive against the errant bus drivers.
“Public contribution is also required to bring a semblance of normalcy on the city’s roads. Things will largely improve if drivers keep their vehicles in designated lanes and don’t jump traffic signals. A public-police partnership is very important,” the police chief pleaded.
There are some 4,000 Blueline buses in the capital, forming a crucial link in the public transport system. Last month, the Delhi government ordered the ‘killer’ buses off the roads after all operators were asked to install speed governors and get a certificate of vehicle worthiness.
Both Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna came under severe pressure from commuters and the families of Blueline bus victims to come down heavily on the wayward drivers, some whom had no licenses or were simply ill equipped to drive a commercial vehicle.
But despite safety measures, the buses continue to kill and at least 10 people have died in the last three weeks.
Dadwal said his officers were working on the force’s modernisation programme called Common Integrated Police Application (CIPA). This was launched two years ago to link the city’s 129 police stations with each other and also with its headquarters.
“Initially the project was being handled by the National Informatics Centre but now we want our own server. The server will not only help us in facilitating the CIPA project, but will also provide other technological advancements. We have asked the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd to draft a proposal for this project,” Dadwal said. “We hope to utilise these services shortly.”
Though the ambitious project – that will help eliminate duplication in record keeping and maintaining the details of criminals – was to be completed by January 2006, the deadline has been shifted again.
Dadwal said the 64,000-strong police force was presently undergoing a special training programme ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
“We are training police officials at all levels to deal with foreigners and provide them hassle free assistance. Select officials are being trained in English language,” said the 1974 batch officer, who was in charge of security during the 1982 Asian Games here.
Dadwal said his visit to the Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne last year would help him give shape to this vision.
The police have also roped in three private companies to train its personnel to improve their communication skills and hone their etiquettes and manners.