KCCI hosts Interaction with PC T R Suresh on Law & Order and Traffic Issues
Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry(KCCI) hosted an Interaction with Police Commissioner T R Suresh on Law & Order and Traffic Issues at KCCI hall on Wednesday, 7 March, 2018.
Mangaluru: As they say “Better Late Than Never”, an interaction with police commissioner T R Suresh, was finally arranged on 7 March, even though the Commissioner had assumed office nearly nine months ago. The interaction with PC was mainly on Law and Order, and Traffic related issues-where the president of KCCI Ms Vathika Pai submitted a memorandum to the Police Commissioner, which included various grievances- and also few members from the audience asked the Police Commissioner on various traffic and law & order problems in the City.
The programme began with welcome address by Ms Vathika Pai-President of KCCI, during which she also read the memorandum contents, which was later submitted to the Police Commissioner. Ms Vathika stated, “At the outset, we all at the KCCI most cordially welcome your good self to this programme of our Chamber, and express our sincere gratitude to you for the time you have taken from your busy schedule to be amidst us to address on Law and Order and Traffic issues in Mangaluru and interact with our Members. In this context, we submit the following for your kind consideration and for taking them up at appropriate levels using your good offices, under the topic ‘Law & Order and Traffic Issues in Mangaluru’, and to ensure these aspirations of the trade, Commerce, Industry and the General People of this region, are fulfilled at your hands:
Regarding Law & Order: We, at KCCI, would like to appreciate the efforts put in by the Police Department for the prompt action taken towards the recent crimes that have taken place in Mangaluru. The Department has ensured that the criminals were apprehended in time and has also ensured that the situation does not flare up, preventing any kind of inconvenience to the general public as well as to Trade and Industries of our region. While we congratulate you for the same, we hope that the Department will continue to take strict measures against such crimes and improvise on the ground intelligence to prevent such crimes in future.
Mangalore is in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. Because of communal tensions, the business community is apprehensive to invest in Mangaluru. In order to prevent such untoward incidents, a ward wise campaign on communal harmony can be carried out by the police with special emphasis on educating people with regard to their socio economic conditions, as they are the first to bear the brunt of communal violence. Night Patrolling in the business streets of Bunder Area is also required
Regarding Traffic Issues in Mangaluru City:
Following are some of the suggestions from our members in order to ease the movement of traffic, for your consideration
-High-density traffic congestion places such as Nantoor, Pumpwell, Clock Tower, Jyothi, Karavali Circle, MG Road, Bunts Hostel to be given special attention and ensure continuous manning of such places with strict adherence of traffic rules in order to avoid frequent accidents that take place at these circles.
– A thorough review and strict action against parking spaces being used for commercial purposes, and also any encroachment of space on main road, would ease the traffic movement inside the city.
– It is necessary to demarcate parking slots at key places in the city so that it decongests the traffic and also prevents reckless parking.
-As soon as our roads in the city are widened, designated parking has to be allowed only on one side of the road. At most places, as soon as the roads are widened, vehicles are parked on either sides of the road thus, not serving the purpose of road widening.
– Road humps / dividers / circles / footpaths which are inside the city to be painted / have reflectors to ensure visibility and prevent accidents.
– Some circles such as Jyothi, Kadri, Nanthoor, etc. have become accident prone zones either because of the interlocks being out of place or because of their design. There is a need to look into the same and redesign or Re-do them.
– Long distance buses are being parked inside the city during the day. They also load / unload goods / passengers inside the city during peak hours and thus, prevent easy movement of traffic. This has to be disallowed say between 8.00 am to 8.30 pm.
– Lorries carrying goods and Ready Mix Concrete Lorries should not be allowed in the city during peak hours.
-We see many vehicles especially two wheelers violating one-way,causing accidents and loss of life. This has to be strictly monitored with imposition of heavy penalty such as fines, warnings and seizures.
– Taxi aggregators are to be allowed in the airport & railway stations in Mangaluru.
– Busy and congested areas in the city which have heavy traffic movement can be converted into one ways making travel faster for our citizens.
– All the plans to decongest the city centre, be it the flyover at Hampankatta, or shifting of the bus stand to the outskirts, construction of the ring roads are to be given serious consideration. The traffic congestion at Clock Tower, Balmatta and such other key areas cause time delays and inconvenience to all commuters. It is very necessary to chalk out concrete plans to decongest all these areas.
– With the growing number of vehicles on our roads, Multi-Level parking at prominent locations is the need of the hour to prevent all parking issues.
-As you are aware, all vehicle dealers are required to take their new vehicles physically to the RTO office for Inspection during registration. With the growth of automobile trade, in the current scenario, all dealers put together bring about 400 + vehicles to the RTO Office leading to traffic congestion’s, thus causing inconvenience to the general public. Many states in India have already introduced Online Registration of Vehicles where the dealers are authorized to do the registration from their office itself. This would ease the traffic issues in that area to a great extent.
-Co-ordinating with Educational institutions to explore the possibilities of changing their opening and closing timings could prevent traffic congestion during peak hours.
– Taxi and Auto Drivers are the first points of contacts / ambassadors of our city for all tourists coming into our city. Training on traffic rules to Taxi / Auto / Bus drivers can help change the face of the city for good in a big way and can ensure better and safer movement of traffic with adherence to traffic rules.
– Immigration clearance for coastal vessels at Old Mangalore Port: It is mandatory for all coastal vessels calling at Major and Minor ports of India to comply with Immigration formalities. Many coastal cargo and passenger vessels belonging to Lakshadweep Development Corporation Ltd., call at Old Mangalore Port. As there is no Immigration Check-post at Old Mangalore Port, users find it difficult to carry out Immigration formalities for these vessels. The matter was taken up with
– Immigration Officer at New Mangalore Seaport and they have expressed their inability to attend as Old Mangalore Port is not falling under their jurisdiction of work. The users have also written to the Commissioner of Police, Mangalore City in this regard but no action has been taken so far. The KCCI requests you to kindly assist the trade by deputing personnel to carry out immigration formalities at Old Mangalore Port.
” We trust that your goodself would take up these issues for further consideration and do the needful at your best possible, and enlighten us and the general public on the action that you initiate on these subjects. KCCI wishes you a very Successful and Fruitful tenure of office as an esteemed Police Commissioner of Mangaluru and assures to work with you for the benefit of the general public and trade & industry of our region” concluded Vatthika Pai.
In response to the contents read by Ms Vathika pai, Police commissioner in his address said, ” Initially I was very reluctant to come to Mangaluru after reading various reports in media- but once I came I realized Mangaluru is definitely not as mentioned in social media. I have been here for the last nine months or so, and I feel Mangaluru is much better than any other cities that I have worked. The negative portrayal of this coastal city as a hub of communal disharmony, crimes, moral police etc should be stopped. I feel this City is a peace-loving and friendly. A few communal riots is a common thing in every city- but Mangaluru is far better than Bengaluru or other cities in the State. In crimes, other cities are outnumbered than Mangaluru-so why portray Mangaluru as a scary town on social and other media”
” Communal riots take place when there is a clash between different religion, which is hard to control-but we are trying our best to stop it. And on such incidents there are more rumours are spread, thereby creating more tension. I have worked in more sensitive places than Mangaluru- moral policing and communal incidents are common. But the only problem here in Mangaluru, is that when a minor communal problem arises, everyone makes a big issue of it and more clashes/problems take place-such kind of thing happens only here. Regarding Traffic issues, there is lot to work on them. Vehicles are increasing in Mangaluru, where as the parking space is very limited here. We see a family owns four vehicles-while one vehicle is parked in their compound or garage, the other three are parked on the streets-this creates parking problems for others” added PC Suresh.
He further said, “As of now we have nearly 100 CCTV’s installed in prime locations in the City-and additional 90 CCTV’s will be installed soon- and then all traffic violations will be controlled and fined on basis of footage’s on these cameras. We are planning to go on a total cashless mode in terms of collection of fines. At present around 75% cashless transactions are done through automation centres. We will also crack down on apartments/businesses using street parking for their vehicles, while their parking spaces have been converted into storage place or for commercial uses. There is a lot for potential growth in Mangaluru, and citizens should join hands with the police to make a difference in the community, and make this friendly city communal tension and crimes free”.
Police commissioner TR Suresh also answered a few questions posed at him from a few audience members. Introduction of PC was done by PB Abdul Hamed-Vice President-KCCI, and the vote of thanks was proposed by Shashidhar Pai Maroor-KCCI Hon. Secretary.