The daily drama of breaking traffic rules
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: June 27 2011 -
The government has declared the entire stretch of road beginning from the Keishampat end of Paona Bazar through Thangal Bazar right upto the end of the Khoyathong a one way road and an exclusive no parking zone.
The arrangement is not uniformly applied and instead enforced in a staggered form. Whatever the arrangement it makes little impact on our commuters.
Daily confrontations take place between vehicle owners and the cops, two wheelers get duly toppled over and four wheelers get their tyres deflated. Verbal exchanges go on unabated.
It is generally assumed that the frailty of human discipline is such that rules generally get broken. In Manipur's case the situation is a bit strange.
Nowhere else are rules broken or challenged as religiously as is done in Manipur. As a people we have a penchant to stare at rules with utter disregard, knowing fully well the consequences of flouting them.
Normally enforcement of a rule needs shepherding only for a short duration of time, and very soon the rule takes roots. Not so in law disregarding Manipur. And what does it cost ?
Starting from the Keishmpat end of Paona Bazar right upto the traffic island at Khoyathong there must be at least 30 to 40 VDF detailed to enforce traffic rules.
Each VDF personnel is paid ' 3000 per month which means anything from ' 90,000 to over ' one lakh plus is spent by the government every month just to make sure our incorrigible brothers and sisters obey basic traffic rules.
If only the authorities were to listen to us, introduce the practice of slapping whopping fines on wrong doers, it will be far more effective than detailing large numbers of uniformed people. And it will do the state exchequer good.
The only grievance of the people which can be construed as genuine will be if the authority itself break the rules. And this could easily take place in Manipur.
Should this take place then public ire will be directed against the authority and enforcement of traffic rules will become a toothless drive.
So the ground is clear, the objectives well defined, the tools to be used ready at hand. All that is left is will power and honesty.
And while you are at it, please take a look at spitting in public places. As a people we are obsessed with spitting.
If it will be of any help, Lee Kuan Yew while he shaping modern Singapore used to cane people for spitting and littering in public places.
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