A more insightful plan needed
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: February 20, 2012 -

The traffic congestions in and around the Imphal bazaar area, despite all efforts towards managing it, is increasing by the day.

For the commuters, going through the heart of the Imphal city, is turning out to be a nightmarish experience while the government agencies tasked to tackle this problem, primarily the traffic police and the transport department seem all lost.

There seem to be no long term plan in place to come to terms with the mess we find ourselves in, and all we have seen these past few months, are a series of knee jerk reactions.

These short term arrangements rather than easing the congestion have added to the woes of all concerned, be it the commuters, the shopkeepers, residents of the bazaar area and even those who have been entrusted to implement these very traffic arrangement.

While we don't see any reason to doubt the sincerity of the concerned officials who are trying to fix the problem, but the manner in which they are going about it, gives the impression of things being done in a whimsical, on the spur of the moment way.

Traffic congestions or lack of adequate roads to accommodate rising vehicular population is a problem faced by rapidly urbanizing centres all over the world.

While some of the more advanced cities which are far more populous and where more and more people continue to pour in daily have managed to stay one step ahead of the problem and cope with it, small little townships like Imphal have had to face the worst possible ramifications of rapid urbanization.

The key to these fast developing cosmopolitan centres around the world finding solutions to traffic congestions and pressures on basic amenities as a result of continuing and ever increasing migration is their preparedness.

All these cities have planned years ahead taking into consideration their projected growth over a certain time frame.

Besides, these big cities with their ability to fund huge projects can make use of the space above the city surface to build elevated motorways and flyovers, dig deep into the soil to build a network of underground transport system to bring sanity and order to the exasperating traffic chaos.

A prime example of such drastic changes is the national capital Delhi.

The harrowing experience of commuting there some 5/10 years back has now given way to a joy ride in the Delhi Metro.

While building an elevated motorway or subway may not be feasible or even required for a small city like Imphal, it could do with some insightful and effective management of the traffic snarls.

By the look of things, it is clear that policy makers of the state either failed to anticipate the manifold increase in the vehicular population over the last decade or while fully aware of the possible scenario did precise nothing.

Either way, it failed to live up to the challenge and have let the situation drift to such an unmanageable level.

It is high time, the traffic police, the transport department and the city planners device a more permanent, long term plan which takes into account the projected increase in vehicular population over the next 50 years or so.

And also, for the immediate, the traffic police would do well to consult real experts in the field with proven track record in tackling such situation rather than seeking opinions from all and sundry.