Chembur traffic jams: RTO, Traffic dept to crack the whip
Authorities will keep an eye on irregularities by private bus operators
near N G Acharya Garden With private buses occupying two lanes-one for
themselves and the other for autorickshaws, cabs, cars of their
passengers-the busy four-lane national highway shrinks to a mere two-lane
road
ASHUTOSH PATIL
T HERE is good news for the residents of eastern suburbs, specially those
who have spent hours stuck in endless traffic jams in the SionChembur
stretch.
The Traffic Department of the Mumbai Police and the Regional Transport
Office (Wadala) have finally heeded their repeated pleas and decided to
combat the traffic menace in Chembur by curtailing irregular operations of
private bus companies.
More than five thousand passengers board or alight from some 400-450 private
buses daily in Chembur, creating a major traffic snarl between 7 pm and 12
am. Private tourist buses heading to Pune, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
stop near N G Acharya Garden to pick up and wait for passengers. In spite of
wide roads, traffic in Chembur either moves at a snail’s pace or comes to a
complete standstill, thanks to big luxury and Volvo buses stopping bang in
the middle of the road, obstructing the rest of the traffic.
Moreover, private bus drivers often behave rudely with the other passing
motorists.
With private buses occupying two lanes-one for themselves and the other for
autorickshaws, cabs, cars of their passengers-the busy four-lane national
highway shrinks to a mere two-lane road.
This traffic bottleneck adds to the already high noise and air pollution in
the area. Holiday season adds to the commuters’ woes, as the frequency of
buses increases at that time.
“It takes 45 minutes to cover the 20 kilometre distance between CST to Sion
and the same amount of time is wasted on this distance of 5 kilometers from
Sion to Chembur,” said Sanjay Mhatre, a resident of Navi Mumbai who has been
driving to his office in CST for the last fifteen years.
Traffic constables find it difficult to control the slow moving traffic and
the numerous buses halting midway to pick up passengers.
But now, traffic police and Regional Transport Office (RTO) authorities are
gearing up to prosecute the traffic offenders.
Shirish Tandalekar, senior inspector of Chembur traffic division, told
Newsline, “We allow buses to halt on humanitarian grounds, as it is a very
convenient spot for hundreds of passengers in the eastern suburbs. However,
from now we will take strict action against private bus operators if they
violate traffic rules.” RTO officials, on the other hand, point out that
many private bus companies operate without requisite contract carriage
permits. Last year, between April 2006 and March 2007, RTO collected a fine
of Rs 6,25,100 from them for violating various rules.
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