A year after Gurujam: Lesson learnt, police gets proactive on rain affected days

Learning from their mistakes, the police this year took the lead in getting the entire machinery in action ahead of monsoon. Being the first responders, the police were present on roads to prevent jams and waterlogging this year.

During last year’s Gurujam, the Gurgaon police were in damage control mode after the mammoth gridlock brought the city to a halt.

Police presence on the roads during rain has improved and it helps in keeping the traffic moving.(Parveen Kumar/HT File)

Learning from their mistakes, the police this year took the lead in getting the entire machinery in action ahead of monsoon. Being the first responders, the police were present on roads to prevent jams and waterlogging this year.

Gurgaon police commissioner Sandeep Khirwar said an early warning system was worked out this year to ensure that an alert is sent to all stakeholders when it rains in the city. Secondly, the police began closely coordinating with civic agencies, including Haryana Urban Development Authority, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram and National Highways Authority of India.

“The police also identified 23 critical spots and started deploying teams there for traffic management and emergency response. The work timings of the force were also altered to ensure a smooth transition from night to day shift,” Khirwar said. Notably the police, last year, had identified 14 spots where traffic was affected but this year, the teams were deployed at 23 points.

Steps taken by the Gurgaon police this year have also proved effective as presence of police personnel on the roads during rain has helped in smooth movement of traffic.

“The traffic department has been issuing regular warnings apart from sharing information regarding the traffic on Twitter and Facebook,” said Simardeep Singh, DCP, traffic, adding that despite all measures, the department is keeping its fingers crossed and is ready to face any challenge.

Singh also said he has been making the rounds of the city to check whether traffic policemen are on duty during peak hours and also when it rains. “A close watch is being kept on whether the special teams designated at critical spots reach there and do the needful,” Singh said.