By IANS
New Delhi : People in north India take pride in violating traffic laws, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna said Thursday, adding he would ensure that people in the capital would be afraid of violating traffic regulations.
“In this region (north India), people take pride in violating the law. But people in south India naturally stay within the limits of the law,” Khanna said while addressing a function to launch Delhi Police’s Traffic Patrol.
“It is a speciality of north and west India that people feel a sense of honour and pride in violating law and boasting that no action could be taken against them,” Khanna said, adding that people in south India adhere to law without any external pressure.
He flagged off 200 ‘traffic motorcycles’ and 121 police control room (PCR) motorcycles, which would keep a strict eye on people violating traffic norms – especially rash driving, three people on a two-wheeler, riding two-wheeler without helmet, defective number plates, driving on the wrong side, unauthorized parking and overtaking from the left side.
The squad will also regulate commuters, street side beggars, hawkers and jaywalkers to maintain discipline at the bus stands and traffic signals.
Khanna said being the Lt. Governor, he would ensure that people in the capital respect and stick to law and feel afraid of violating traffic norms.
“Making people fear does not mean that there will be any high-handedness. But agencies should not remain mute spectators and must take stringent action against those who overstep the limits,” Delhi’s top official said.
“The ambassador of Denmark, who met me a couple of days ago, also spoke about the poor traffic situation in the city. He said the system could be improved to a certain extent if the car drivers start driving in their respective lanes.”
Last month Khanna had courted controversy when, addressing his annual press conference Jan 4, he directed that all people in the capital need to equip themselves all the time with an identity card to show proof of residence.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had called it an attempt to “turn Delhi into a police state” and a “sinister design to target people of Bihari origin” – the capital has a large number of migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
After stiff protests from all quarters, including the Congress, Khanna in a U-turn said the media had “misreported” him on the issue.
“Ours is a free country and people are most welcome to have their comments. But I definitely feel that media misreported me. When instead of saying that it (carrying an identity card) was an advisory, they (media) reported it was mandatory,” Khanna said in a television interview.