New committees, digitised data to monitor city traffic….Urvi Mahajani
Supervision – Three zonal advisory committees and 25 sub committees to be formed in 3 months
Supervision – Three zonal advisory committees and 25 sub committees to be formed in 3 months
With the view to effectively manage traffic and penalise those who flout traffic rules, the state government has formed three zonal advisory committees. The government pleader Dhairyasheel Nalavade informed the court on Thursday that 25 more sub-committees will be formed to monitor and regulate traffic at the micro-level.
A division bench of chief justice Mohit Shah and justice Girish Godbole was hearing a public interest litigation filed by the Bombay Bar Association and advocate Armin Wandrewala seeking stricter implementation of traffic rules and regulations.
Nalavade said deputy commissioners of police will head the zonal committees, while the police inspector from that area’s police chowki will head the sub-committee. Apart from representatives from the transport commissioner’s office and traffic department, the sub-committees will also include representatives from the BEST, taxi and auto unions.
Janak Dwarkadas, counsel for the Bombay Bar Association said the sub-committees should have the power to solve certain issues at their level.
An affidavit filed by Pravin Dixit, principal secretary (special), stated that 25 sub-committees will report to the joint commissioner of police on a regular basis. “Participation of local level residents and businessmen would also be encouraged,” the affidavit said.
Nalavade also informed the court that the transport department has digitised data of vehicles registration post-1997. “We have requested them to make the data web-based and provide the same to the traffic department,” said Nalavade. This would help in cracking the whip against traffic violators.
The transport department would also digitise the data between 1990 and 1997 within three months, said Nalavade.
As far as painting of zebra crossings is concerned, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has so far painted 686 crossings of the total 752, said Anil Sakhare, counsel for the civic body.
Paintings on 18 zebra crossings are pending due to infrastructure works such as the Metro and monorail. Also, 32 zebra crossings have not been painted as they come under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, states an affidavit filed by the corporation.
The court has kept the PIL for hearing on July 28.