In absence of any prevailing system of shift duty, policemen in capital city of Delhi remained practically on their toes during major part of 24 hours of the day. Traffic policemen the frontline sentinels entrusted with vital task of traffic regulation on overcrowded, ill conceived, haphazardly laid roads of highly populated metropolis.These specialist cops daily faced an traumatic ordeal of enforcement, regulation and prosecution amidst extremities of weather and prevailing life threatening atmospheric pollution.
Those of us shouldering sensitive responsibility of V VIP/ VIP traffic were often burdened with additional inconvenience on account of unpredictability and long hours of duty.The deployment of cops began three hours before the beginning of such route arrangements.
Being a pious religious personality adhering to devotion ritualism, Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and his better half Mrs. Chennamma Deve Gowda strictly observed the restrictive norms normally practiced during the traditional “navratri” festival. As an essential part of ritualism, solemnly visited temples of iconic faith, moving barefooted before sunrise and after sunset for partaking in pivotal prayers for invoking God’s blessings.
These sacred sojourns of PM Deve Gowda severely tested the physical stamina of traffic policemen, since their duties stretched beyond normal limitations of human endurance.
On the eve of main festival, the current late evening program to temple was cancelled at the spur of the moment and rescheduled for next early dawn.Point blank, spontaneously expressing my anguish on behalf of field duty staff conveyed my strong resentment on our communication network.The considerate SPG personnel, suo-motto conveyed my vital message uncensored directly to the PM Deve Gowda.
After a lapse of a few minutes of silence, a crisp clear message arrived straight from PM for my execution. The evening program was revived and the next day’s itinerary of dawn was scrapped. We heaved a sigh of relief, saluting the sagacious statesmanlike gesture of the prime minister for providing a soothing relief to overworked traffic policemen.
This small gesture on part of the Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda had a gargantuan impact in boosting morale of overburdened, physically outstretched policemen engaged in providing smooth passage to his motorcade in the metropolis of Delhi.
Note : Janata Dal (secular ) leader and Member of the Rajya Sabha Hardanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda was the 11th Prime Minister of India. Shri Deve Gowda served as PM of India from 1994 to 1996. Author of the article was an officer posted in Delhi Traffic Police during the same period.
