Faulty traffic signals expose traffic police to health hazards

Traffic police personnel manning junctions in Bengaluru and Mysuru are facing health hazards due to prolonged manual traffic regulation necessitated by faulty traffic signals, Karnataka State Police Complaints Authority member Mohan Kumar Danappa has said.

In a letter to the Director-General and Inspector-General of Police on Friday, Mr. Danappa stated that personnel were being made to regulate traffic manually for nearly eight hours a day at junctions where signal systems had not been functioning properly for several months due to inadequate Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) arrangements.

He said, “The traffic police were exposed for long periods to heat, rain, dust and vehicular emissions while performing their duties from morning to evening. The prolonged exposure and working conditions were reportedly causing health problems, including eye irritation, sleep disturbances and physical and mental stress.”

They were also finding it difficult to leave their assigned junctions to use toilets, while adequate drinking water and rest facilities were reportedly unavailable, the letter stated.

Mr. Danappa expressed concern that instead of ensuring timely renewal of the AMCs and technically rectifying the signal systems, the burden was being placed on the traffic police personnel through prolonged manual regulation.

He urged the State police chief to immediately ensure renewal and proper maintenance of traffic signal systems in Bengaluru and Mysuru and reduce the workload and health risks faced by the traffic personnel.

He also sought measures to ensure that traffic signals across the State function automatically and properly through effective maintenance mechanisms and requested that the action taken be communicated to the police complaints authority.