MCD rapped for negligence: What next?

Another landmark decision -in the row of previous cases of Justice finally being delivered to India. The news has been covered by Media very suitably - by TOI, HT and perhaps everybody else.

However, the judgement and the event calls for some circumspection. One of the reports above (TOI one) quotes the lawyer for MCD saying "Potholed roads were not reason enough for commuters to drag the agency to court. This isn't the test for giving damages against civic bodies. We only charge house tax; no road cess is levied by us. In any case, just because one pays taxes everything can't be perfect. People will start rushing to courts everytime"


?!?!?!


What the guy is actually saying is that MCD be allowed to work shoddily or in other words -it should be let to discharge its duties with a reasonable (?) amount of error. Great. I think people can agree to a reasonable amount but just that and no more. However, what Delhi is left with is "roads in potholes" and not "potholes in roads".

Delhi's roads are made with least attention to two most important things i.e. drainage and design. While Drainage is essential to carry rainwater to its rightful place (Harvesting wells), design elements like slope etc are very essential to make sure that water pouring on roads is quickly transferred to the drains i.e. if they exist in first place.

Roads form an essential part of civil infrastructure, as much as electricity or water or communication systems. If the nation has to progress, its citizens should be entitled to a friendly road system and not one that punishes -which is what every person today feels, not only in Delhi but in every urban part of the country.

These roads are made from money paid by taxes by individuals and companies which is akin to a salaried person paying charges every month to government out of his salary to ensure that his basic needs get taken care of. If the same is not ensured by government and its various departments, then people should not minding going to courts for the pettiest of discomfort.

I'd rather suggest that MCD and other agencies start treating themselves as service organisations and in order to improve themselves, should open their doors to people who find a problem in the city. It should be willing to pay fine for every lapse reported which can go in a trust meant for other civic bodies or whatever.
This may sound fanciful but then India story is unfolding, Justices are delivering and taking people/agencies to task for committing wrongdoings and we never know when one person at the top of such an organisation may volunteer to lead his organisation to its goal, i.e. to serve the taxpayer (rather every Citi Zen).

Lane Driving plus Sane Driving: Need of the hour

I have been hearing Delhi's CM reaching out to listeners of FM and appealing to practise lane and sane driving and reducing accidents. However, the same has not been followed up with any education/enforcement from DTP. And if she (or any govt) thinks that all drivers on the road know the rules of lane driving then they should have listened to radio themselves on 14th and 15th of August, where people spoke of first color of our Tricolor as "Orange", actually.

I think it's high time that Authorities (MCD, DTP and others) does a thorough analysis of Traffic Situation in NCR (it applies to many other cities as well). India adopted a culture of mixed traffic since independence as traffic was just that - there were Tongas, Baggis, Bicycles and perhaps couple of foren cars. But we've traveled. Traveled so much that today India is attracting every car maker of the world here. Common sense suggests two measures that need to be enforced very urgently. One, need for segregated traffic and second, lane driving discipline.

Today, Delhi has already commissioned its BRT signalling a transition to segregation of MRT to some extent. But, it will be at least another 2 years (read commonwealth games) for BRT to operationalise fully and even then our low floor buses shall continue to ply BETWEEN us despite DTP having a policy for the same. Newspapers have stopped counting number of lives deleted by our lifeline Blueline, implying that none can take them to task. Focus of DTP seems to be more on challaning general public for not having No-Pollution Certificate on their brand new Euro-III compliant cars instead of their core job, i.e. Traffic Management.

Need of the hour is enforcement of meaningful segregation. Delhi has sufficient width available on its main arteries i.e. Ring Road, Outer Ring Road and other important roads to demarcate separate lanes for MRTs (Bluelines, Chartereds, RTVs etc), cars, 2-wheelers etc. Cars may require more lanes than Buses which can have single lane with overtaking strip at every km or so. Exact modalities for different stretches can be worked out once a team is assigned for the same.

Till that happens (and even after that) "lane driving" needs to be enforced strictly. Today, people talk about others driving rash and ovetaking rashly or from wrong side. However, one should understand that this is being forced upon us. Even within city limits of 50 kmph, you'll find people driving at speeds of 30 kmph on the rightmost lane leaving people behind them with no option but to overtake from left after couple of honks. Obviously, the slow driver is either not aware that (s)he should be driving on left, or is scared of a Blueline scathing away (s)his door if (s)he drives on left or doesn't give a damn about it. Now, our roads boast of more signages per square feet than you can find in the best malls. Why can't they read rules of the lane driving (with sponsorer's logos -MCD still makes money) and similar things? Why can't DTP's task force go all-out after a single mission that can drastically change the trafficscape of the city? I am sure people would oblige, because they need solutions, and would be more than willing to obllige if DTP can keep Bluelines wihtin that Bus lane.

I am hoping for positive changes in this sphere and India ought to things in its stride as it is uniquely placed in such a situation which it might not have envisaged even as close as ten years ago. The development of the nation is placing it at par with top nations in terms of Purchasing Power Parity and therefore, it needs to guarantee itself better infrastructure, even if it has to slog hard to get it.

Traffic Systems with GPS

yet to add content

Kudos DS! But can you do more?

yet to add content