'People will see drastic change in days to come'

Joint Commissioner of Police Traffic Amitesh Kumar finally broke his silence on the traffic menace at BandraKurla Complex and has promised an end to its traffic woes In an exclusive chat with midday Kumar assured that officegoers would see a drastic change on the ground in the coming months with his special drive and innovative methods to handle any kind of traffic menace at BKC and other areas The change has begun and in the coming months commuters will notice a drastic change in the way auto and taxi drivers operate he saidFollowing the twoweeklong series in midday on the transport troubles at BKC on Thursday Kumar called for a highlevel meeting with all Regional Transport Offices RTO in the city in which BKC was given priority Excerpts from the talk with Kumar and some promises he made for a new and improved traffic situation at BKCDespite the drive midday found people at BKC struggling to get an auto during peak hours PicsNimesh DaveThe special drive which started on February 2 fizzled out in less than a weekThe drive is still on I took a review on Thursday evening and Friday morning Aggressive action continues in BKC Kurla and BandraOfficegoers were happy with the presence of police during peak hoursYes we got a positive response from officegoers and others I am sure the drive will provide a longterm sustainable improvement in the overall scenario especially outside railway stationsCommuters at Bandra West and Khar West stations have seen some drastic changes due to the continuous efforts of traffic PI Nitin Patil Why cant it be implemented on the EastPatil is doing a commendable job and the same steps are being taken in another areas as wellA traffic cop during a check at LTTAfter middays report at LLT cops held a special drive and fined almost triple the number of auto drivers But the situation was back to square one the next dayPolice action outside Bandra Kurla and LTT stations is on When we start the drive obviously at first we note a large number of violations which goes down the next day I took a review on Friday and the situation is much better than what it was 15 days agoDuring peak hours the situation at BKC is still worse than in other parts of the cityThere are various reasons for traffic congestion but I can only tell you that the traffic police are totally sensitive to them We have earmarked localities and junctions that witness heavy commuting during peak hours and we try our best to manage them as effectively as possibleA traffic cop acts against an auto driver for a violationWe have found that officially only one auto stand has been approved at BKC near ICICI Bank but it is not in useThere is a process through which we approve auto stands They are primarily approved by the transport department but our views are also taken into considerationAccording to the commuters one of the main reasons behind the harassment specially at BKC is the nonavailability of stands Auto drivers and taxi drivers park the vehicle anywhere they wish Why cant we make this disciplinedI would not agree that shortage of taxi and auto stands is the reason for congestion and harassment in BKC There are various reasons and we are coming down very heavily on auto and taxi drivers ensuring that they dont overcharge or refuse to ply and follow all the permit conditions of the RTO In fact we held a review meeting on Thursday with all RTOs and have roped them in to start a joint drive with us to discipline auto and taxi driversAmitesh Kumar joint commissioner of police TrafficHow did the traffic police manage the chaos at BKC before the driveOn an average each traffic division has between 70 to 80 personnel managing traffic in their jurisdiction For special drives like these we have an impact squad which we draw from various other places to make an impact We hold drives with the help of additional men Once the drive gets over again its for the chowkie to sustain it in the longtermWhat is the traffic police long term plan for LTT BKC and Kurla terminusIt is going to be a sustained drive and with the help of all the RTOs we are trying to take drastic action like cancellation suspension of drivers permits or suspension of their driving licences or detention of their vehicles as wellAuto union leader Shashank Rao has offered all help against illegal auto drivers Have any efforts been made to reach out to Rao in this contextNo I am not aware about such a statement by Rao or his desire to cooperate with us We have already planned interaction sessions with auto and taxi driversIs there any plan to speak to corporate offices and request them to change the office hours so that a smaller crowd gathers on the roadsWe have asked them several times through social fora to stagger their office timings and we are getting a positive response especially in BKC and Parel areasWhat is the prime reason for traffic jams in Mumbai and what is being done to deal with themOne reason is the massive jump in the number of autos in Mumbai from 1 lakh in 2007 to almost 2 lakh today after licensing reopened The number of taxis however have only increased by 16000 since 2016 and stand at 116 lakh today The increase in number of autos has led to an imbalance in demand and supply and led to autos crowding around stations offices hoping to snatch customers This causes jams and congestion in certain areas We are trying find a way out in coordination with other stakeholders like the railways BMC MMRDA etc We are seeing if we can create more parking space in certain areas so that these auto can be parked For example at Bandra East we asked the railways for the large vacant space on their premises that has been encroached on for parking The proposal is pending with the railways We have also increased action against various traffic violations and it continues to be intensiveMMRDAs promises for transport in BKCDilip Kawathkarjoint project director PR MMRDAA lot of aspects of traffic engineering and transportation planning were studied when the BKC conceived and a transport network was planned which included several projects as well as a BandraKurla rail link better transfer facilities between bus and railways at Bandra and Kurla station etc MMRDA is putting in continuous efforts to improve the traffic and transportation scenario in and around BKCCurrent projectsRoadways Widening of MumbaiAgra Road construction of SantacruzChembur Link Road widening of SionDharavi Road along with the road over bridge on Central Railway widening of Mahim Causeway widening of SV Road to the north of Mahim CausewayPublic transport BandraKurla rail link better transfer between bus and railways at Bandra and Kurla station auxiliary terminal for intercity passenger trains at Bandra eighth rail corridorFuture ProjectsRail Bullet train Metro 2B Metro 3Roadways BKCEEH Connector SantacruzChembur Link RoadI SCLRII exit flyover from BKC development of 30M DP Road connecting to Western Express Highway development of 30M DP Road connecting to SCLR near Mumbai University grade separators flyover or tunnel at LBSBKC MTNL Junction NSE junction at the junction of 30 M Road and SCLR near Asian Heart Hospital towards E block widening of entries from LBS Road and at Kapadia Nagar to BKCOther measures Pilot project for oneway traffic in E amp G Block of BKC provision of ebikes cycle tracks Skates elevated walkway wider footpathsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates