The management of traffic on V VIP route is a child’s play?.
This connotation might sound inappropriate with the actuality. It might be absolutely true, when planned without application of mind, while utterly disregarding the inconvenience caused to ordinary citizens.
The V VIP who wins elections by riding on the popularity of prized votes of powerful electorate, cannot remain insensitive to their priorities? According to the factual situation, at times the over enthusiastic official machinery while displaying their flattering loyalty, propels them into believing as though they are ”extraordinary extraterrestrial beings”.
A precarious balance is required to be maintained for facilitating movement of V VIP, without causing unnecessary hardship to the general road users.
Justice M N Venkatachaliah, the ex-Chief Justice of India, as Chairman of NHRC (November1996 to October 1999), sent a notice to the Commissioner of Delhi Police for causing hardship to road users during V VIP movements across the metropolitan Delhi. Justice M N Venkatachaliah appeared to be a simple straightforward person, yet authoritatively disciplinarian.
Our Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic) Kawaljit Deol and myself reached NHRC HQ. to represent our perspective. We had to listen to the nasty insinuations of the NHRC in response to the complaints registered by citizenry of Delhi against traffic police. All our pleadings fell to deaf ears, commission not believing our contention. NHRC wanted a report from a non-police specialist agency.
A committee comprising of Dr. Sharfuddin of Central Road Research Institute Mathura road, a senior official of NHRC and myself as its members was constituted. A report was submitted after closely observing the factual ground realities for few weeks. This concluded that the stoppage of traffic was bare minimum, fluctuating between 2 to 2.5 minutes, depending on traffic congestion and selection of routes and their timings. Acceptance of our this report by NHRC was an endorsement of the fact that we were adequately taking necessary precautionary measures to ensure minimum inconvenience to the road users.
Monday the 1’st of December 1997, occasion of raising day of Border Security Force, Prime Minister was to review their parade at Chhawala Camp, Nagafgarh at 10 AM. For avoiding disturbance to general traffic Inder Kumar Gujral PM,(April 1997-May 1998) was to fly by helicopter from the Safdarjung airport.
As a precautionary measure a complete surface traffic route had also been additionally positioned. Generally during beginning of winter the cocktail of clouds and smog transforms the weather into a murky overcast sultry environment, badly reducing visibility. We were present on the route at 8 AM.
Indian Air force just at nick of time expressed their inability to ship PM in view of the prevailing risky inclement weather.
We anxiously kept waiting for the V VIP movement, it was at 9.40 AM, suddenly SPG announced that PM had left Race Course residence by road for the place of function. The exit was on Teen Murti Marg, and after negotiating Teen Murti roundabout the speed of motorcade steadily increased.
After crossing Shantipath/ Panchsheel crossing, it accelerated to 80 km per hour.
On reaching Rao Tula Ram marg and thereafter crossing Ring road it registered at 100 km per hour. Entering Delhi Cantonment the speed reaching at 120 km per hour and still accelerating.
Here I decided enough was enough, keeping in view the prevailing road conditions, such a foolhardy act, could result in a mishap. Cautioning SPG that at this juncture Delhi traffic police withdraws itself from the responsibility of PM’s route arrangements. Now it was left for the SPG to proceed on their own?
The unprecedented escalation of speed was being resorted, keeping in view the scheduled timings, which being impossible to align with the trysted time.
No doubt PM was late for the function, but occurrence of such once in a blue moon contingency situations cannot be avoided.
Police Commissioner T R Kakkar picking up my radio signal, conveyed our inability to cope up with the Prime Minister’s cavalcade, which could jeopardize itself into a unlucky accident.
Director of SPG Shyamal Datta, a sweet Bengali gentleman responding to the factual situation, ordered caravan to reduce speed to normal (50-70 km per hour.). Our colleagues in security wing often used to express dismayed disillusionment at the undeterred resolve of traffic police to facilitate the common road users, sometimes even giving them preference over the V VIP movement.
The ‘precision trapeze balance’ was necessary to meet the security requirements plus ensuring minimum inconvenience to the normal flow of traffic, during the road journeys of V VIP’s across National Capital Region of Delhi.
(Author of the article Mr. HPS Virk is a retired Deputy Commissioner of Delhi Police)
