Lucknow: Mega traffic plan; rehearsals set to roll from today
The state traffic directorate has chalked out an elaborate master plan with special arrangements on 19 corridors covering 150 kilometres of the state capital to ensure smooth movement of over 5000 delegates and VVIPs, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the UP Investors Summit on February 21-22.
Mega event, mega plans! The state traffic directorate has chalked out an elaborate master plan with special arrangements on 19 corridors covering 150 kilometres of the state capital to ensure smooth movement of over 5000 delegates and VVIPs, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the UP Investors Summit on February 21-22.
“Nearly 3000 police officers and personnel will be deployed on these corridors, 10 outer corridors and nine within the city, during the summit,” said Ravi Shanker Nim, additional superintendent of police (ASP) Lucknow traffic.
He said rehearsals will be carried out on Feb 15, 16, 17 and 19 to ensure its proper enforcement from February 20 to 23. He said the plan will be in force a day before the summit as delegates will start arriving from February 20 and continue till their departure on February 23. Traffic diversions for heavy vehicles will be enforced from February 20.
Nim said the directorate would ensure special arrangements on 10 outer corridors and was putting in place traffic signals, extra personnel for traffic management and interceptor vehicles for the purpose. Officials had already identified encroachments and the authorities concerned had been asked to remove them. “Traffic bottlenecks and other problems in enforcing the plan, if any, would be removed during rehearsals, he emphasised.
Additional director general (ADG), Traffic, MK Bashal said approximately 500 CCTV cameras—fixed cameras as well as Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras— were also installed on these corridors. He said all police personnel involved in traffic duty will be equipped with handheld wireless sets to continuously remain in touch with one another in case of any urgent diversion or change in plan. For it, at least 1000 handheld wireless sets had been provided by the top authorities, he added.
At least 25 police response vehicles and 150 motorcycle squads will also be pressed into service as only four interceptors were available with Lucknow traffic police at present.
The traffic corridors within the city originate from 35 different hotels, where delegates will stay, to the summit venue Indira Gandhi Prathisthan. At least 50 travellers vehicles and nearly 500 cars of various categories will be pressed into service for the movement of delegates from hotels to the venue.
“For security reasons, verification of drivers of each and every vehicle deployed for the event are being done,” a police officer said and added, “The drivers will be apprised about the route in advance during the rehearsal period”.