Delhi traffic and crime rate under House panel scanner

The panel on home affairs, led by senior Congress leader Anand Sharma, has identified 15 areas that would be under focus by the committee extensively.

Delhi’s worsening traffic situation and rising crime will top the agenda for the Parliament’s standing committee on home affairs, indicating the concern of the lawmakers about the situation in the national capital.

The panel’s report is not binding upon the government but it provides a collective view of MPs across political lines and valuable suggestions by experts and the lawmakers. (HT photo/representative image)

The panel on home affairs, led by senior Congress leader Anand Sharma, has identified 15 areas that would be under focus by the committee extensively.

The panel’s review of the Delhi’s traffic and crime comes when then Delhi Police is grappling precisely with these two issues. The Delhi Traffic Police recently identified as many as 25 most congested stretches in the city to try to clear traffic bottlenecks.

As reported by HT earlier, some of the troublesome stretches include Paschim Vihar (Jwala Heri Market bus stand to Puri bakery), Rajouri Garden Market (Divine Inn Service Apartment to Marble Market T-point), Lajpat Nagar Market (Gupta Market Road near Pink Line metro station to Lala Lajpat Rai Road), Dabri Mor (Below the Janakpuri flyover to Janakpuri C-II turning) and RK Puram sector-12 (Rao Tula Ram Marg to Vasant Enclave T-point, below the flyover).

A panel member also added that the committee has already expressed concern over the sharp rise in snatching incidents by bike gangs in the national capital area.

The panel has also decided to review the contentious National Register of Citizens (NCR) in Assam, an exercise that has triggered poitical furore amid uncertainty among a large section of the people in Assam. Even the BJP leadership in Assam has expressed its disapproval after lakhs of Hindus were dubbed as illegal immigrants.

The subject of “national security, intelligence coordination and counter terrorism” will also be discussed by the committee. The subject assumes interest in the wake of the recent developments in Jammu and Kashmir and the unabated cross border terrorism of Pakistan.

The role of the National Disaster Response Force and left-wing terrorism will also be discussed by the panel in the near future.

The panel’s report is not binding upon the government but it provides a collective view of MPs across political lines and valuable suggestions by experts and the lawmakers.