Traffic management in New Delhi was always a challenging task

833
HPS Virk

It was only after securely consolidating their hold over vast Indian nation of 4.2 million square kilometer, the British decided to build a new capital city of New Delhi. As a prelude King George V was crowned Emperor of India (Delhi Darbar) on 12th December 1911, at historic Coronation Park, Kingsway Camp. Delhi, next day held a grand ‘darshan’ at historic Red Fort.

Sir Edwin Lutyen’s, carried out commendable task entrusted for building this new city (1912-30), by amalgamating the elegance of regal past, infusing it with modern sophistication.

Capital was shifted from Calcutta (now Kolkata) lock, stock and barrel during year 1931.

The cloistered area of New Delhi, generally referred as Lutyen’s Delhi remaining out of bounds for the native Indians, in pursuance of their universal policy of apartheid openly practiced by Britishers.

Promulgation of restricting movements of pedestrians, human propelled vehicles and those driven by animals, continued in the capital city from the very beginning. The vital task of enforcement rested on the shoulders of Delhi Traffic Police. The border of modern New Delhi and downtown old Delhi remained vulnerably susceptible, almost sacrosanct like any International border.

We were entrusted to stop all hand carts, animal driven vehicles, pedal rickshaws, commercial vehicles, plus enforce strict parking restrictions.

Besides this prohibiting all hawkers, vendors, stray cattle, dissuading beggars from seeking alms at intersections, preventing collectors of recyclable materials from entering areas of New Delhi. Chemsford and Panchkuian roads were most volatile spots where regular skirmishes took place between enthusiastic law enforcers and equally determined law breakers.

Among the various police officers, a stalwart to reckon with was Dr. K K Paul, having doctorate in chemistry, from our prestigious Punjab University, Chandigarh. At this Alma mater his illustrious father Dr. R C Paul was a professor and later became its most successful Vice Chancellor.

Dr. Paul preached us that flow of traffic was similar to the flow of water. Any obstruction, constriction or impediment in its path could have a far reaching cascading effects, causing major traffic congestion and blockade even at far distant places.

Traffic regulation and enforcement being mostly manual, due to lack of resources for going high tech in a really big way. Another reason was lack of consolidated central data bank for issuing of driving licences and vehicle registrations, which remained confined to domain of states and Union territories of India.

Dr. Paul believed in zero tolerance in matters of traffic violations. The normal traffic regulation was from 7 to 11 AM and 3 to 8 PM, adjustable to seasonal variations. But our day began much earlier and ended late in evening due to regulation of VVIP routes. He resided at posh Mahadev Road, the routes taken by him for reaching office at IP estate Police HQ, were laid out meticulously exactly like V VIP route. Any slackness or indiscipline by traffic policeman not only attracted serious consequences for the ‘black sheep’, but supervisory officers being pulled up for lack of adequate briefing and motivation. This cat and mouse game initially looked very dismal, but within a passage of time it turned into a highly relished entertainment.

One day our prolific boss happened to notice a ‘tonga’ traversing Ashoka Road, this straightaway invited summoning me to his office at Police HQ.

Visit to his office was feared by traffic policemen just as ordinary Germans feared visiting the Gestapo HQ, during heydays of dreaded Hitler era.

Where any exiting officer never revealed the drubbing received inside chamber of Additional Commissioner of Police (Security and Traffic), for wearer alone knows where the shoe pinches.

We geared up our planning strategies like a carefully planned military precision operation for apprehending of the law breaker offensive tonga.

Daily we got humiliating reminders about our inability to entrap the violator who dared defy the strict traffic restrictions, making a mockery of entire enforcement machinery of the Delhi Police.

On the day five, our surveillance paid rich dividends, tonga along with its owner and the offensive horse were finally in our custody. The gentleman riding the tonga was a saintly looking bearded old man immaculately dressed in a white native outfit, a pious looking Muslim, belonging to Turkman Gate area of downtown old walled city. We questioned him in a rough manner about presence of his animal driven vehicle in the prohibited VVIP area. He was least perturbed, rather spoke with well articulated words and displaying a confident expression, stating that he possessed specific permission for operating unhindered in entire Delhi area.

From under the wraps of his jute cushioned seat he pulled a carefully preserved laminated document. This was the official letter head of Dr. K K Paul, D C P traffic (former), Delhi, authorizing him to operate unrestricted across the entire jurisdiction of New Delhi.
A photocopy of this permission was prepared, and a radio message flashed to boss, “Sir, intercepted the renegade tonga, but owner rider wields necessary authorization granted by your honor”. Immediately came the reply, “Come to my office”.

The permission was placed before him, he was flummoxed and exclaimed, “Don’t know under what circumstances this permission was granted. OK gentleman, thanks a lot for your meticulous efforts, nice done job”.

Thus walking out of his office, feeling vigorously elated with a renewed sense of an accomplished fulfillment, as though I had scaled Mount Everest, that too without using oxygen.

*NOTE: Commendably contributed my services to Delhi Traffic Police as, an ACP, Add. DCP and DCP for over a decade, gathering a vast experience of roads across entire NCR of Delhi.

(Writer of the article , HPS Virk is retired Deputy Commissioner of Delhi Police )