Ghaziabad traffic police to redeploy officers to 152 major points from tomorrow

This reorganisation will optimise resource utilisation and allow officers to cover a larger portion of the city, said police officers

Traffic police who are currently stationed at 183 significant points throughout Ghaziabad city will now be redeployed to 152 points, police officers familiar with the matter said on Monday, adding that this is not a reduction in the area covered by traffic officers; rather, this reorganisation will optimise resource utilisation and allow officers to cover a larger portion of the city.

The committee also recommended that traffic officers carry out their duties in two shifts of eight hours each every day. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The decision was taken based on recommendations by a two-member Ghaziabad police committee that assessed the deployment of traffic police at major intersections throughout the city, and will be implemented beginning August 16.

“The assessment was made in light of the addition of new roads, flyover, and other infrastructure for better traffic regulation and enforcement. We conducted a ground-level inspection of 183 traffic intersections and identified 152 different duty points for traffic personnel. The traffic sub-inspectors (TSIs) will now cover longer stretches of road. The entire exercise has been designed to maximise resource utilisation and cover a large portion of the city,” said Poonam Mishra, assistant commissioner of police (traffic) and committee member.

The committee also recommended that traffic officers carry out their duties in two shifts of eight hours each every day. The ACP said that the previous duty hours for traffic head constables were 12 hours, and nine hours for traffic constables. “It is now proposed that each work eight hours in two shifts. This will reduce the burden on traffic personnel while ensuring availability for 15-16 hours per day,” said ACP Mishra.

Currently, the Ghaziabad district has a registered vehicle base of approximately 789,546 vehicles, with thousands more passing through the newly developed Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway, and other major district roads such as the Hapur Road, GT Road stretch, and Meerut Road.

Aside from the Eastern Peripheral Expressway and the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, the city now has a new Dhobi Ghat flyover connecting Chaudhary Morh on one side and Vijay Nagar on the other.

According to officials, the duty shifts will begin at 7am and end at 3pm, with the second shift starting at 3pm and ending at 10pm each day. According to officials, 57 TSIs have also been given motorcycles to help them manage their coverage area and ensure better enforcement.

According to official records, the two expressways of Eastern Peripheral Expressway and the Delhi-Meerut Expressway saw 59,848 instances of overspeeding in 2022 and 35,455 between January and July of this year, which were challaned by the traffic police. Similarly, 15,079 instances of no parking on the two expressways in 2022 and 15,220 from January to July of this year were penalised.

“The city’s traffic problem will persist because of an increase in vehicles while road capacity has largely remained constant. Road engineering and management are deficient. Traffic violations are common on almost every major road, and they are also a recurring feature on expressways such as the Delhi-Meerut Expressway,” said VK Mittal, president of the Kaushambi apartments resident welfare association.