Jaipur: Disregard for traffic signals on Jaipur roads has become increasingly common, particularly in the city centre. Most of the junctions lack traffic police presence, and at locations where officers are stationed, they fail to enforce traffic regulations, thus increasing the risk of deadly accidents.“Signal violations by two-wheelers are rampant at most intersections in the city. Any day, a major accident may happen. What’s surprising is that even where police officials are stationed, they don’t take action against errant motorists. Until and unless you start slapping hefty fines, such violations won’t stop,” said Rajat Singh Rathore, a commuter.Officials of traffic department said they were heavily understaffed. While the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) recommends 4,700 personnel to maintain Jaipur traffic, at present the traffic department has only 1,100 officials. This figure also includes traffic volunteers.Speaking to TOI, DCP (traffic) Sumeet Meharda said the problem has grown following a new rule that permits only a sub-inspector and above-ranked official to issue challans. The traffic department only has a few officials of these ranks.“However, it is not true that we are not taking steps. Every day we issue close to a thousand challans through digital mode. We are going to strengthen the digital modes for issuing challans in the next few months. Errant motorists won’t be spared,” Meharda said.According to experts, Jaipur’s traffic authorities and civic bodies prioritise maintaining continuous traffic movement on city streets over reducing road accidents.“Traffic violations in Jaipur have visibly surged — triple riding, wrong-side driving, signal jumping, and riding without helmets are now everyday sights. It’s unclear why road users show such blatant non-compliance or why enforcement doesn’t deter them. Is the current policing strategy ineffective, or is there political pressure preventing strict action?” questioned Neha Khullar, executive director of Muskan Foundation for Road Safety.
Traffic signal violations surge in city, cops mute spectators | Jaipur News
