Asks Centre to hand over management of traffic police

A smooth drive through the clouds! That's what the Delhi government is promising to achieve before the Commonwealth Games 2010,u00a0u00a0 if the Centre accepts its proposal to let the Capital have full control of the traffic police department. At present, the traffic police department is a part of the Delhi Police, which is under the Union Government.

Sources in the Delhi Cabinet said that Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is concerned about managing the city's chaotic traffic that may get worse during the Games.

The Delhi government has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) seeking control over the Delhi traffic police and merge it with the city's Transport Department. Sources in the Delhi Cabinet said that the Chief Minister's Office wrote to the MHA about 10 days ago requesting full control of the traffic police. The proposal highlighted the need for better traffic management in the city. "If the proposal is accepted by the MHA, then the Delhi traffic police will become a separate department which will work jointly with the Transport Department," said a MHA official, requesting anonymity.

Rakesh Mehta, chief secretary, Delhi, confirmed that the proposal has been sent from the Chief Minister's Office. "A formal proposal was sent some days ago and we are awaiting a reply," Mehta said.

The proposal, if accepted by the MHA, will ease the burden on the city police who are responsible for maintaining law and order. The two departments will be combined and a commissioner will supervise the entire system. Currently, the Transport Department of Delhi is under the state government.u00a0

However, a few voices are being raised against the proposal. Dr Harsh Vardhan, former Delhi BJP president, said that the plan, if approved, may add to the chaos. "Functions of various police departments are interlinked. If an important section like the traffic police is removed, it will be very difficult to maintain the overall law and order situation," he said.u00a0u00a0

A senior IPS officer, on condition of anonymity, said that traffic police should be kept under the control of the city police. "There are cases where Police Control Room (PCR) vans chase errant drivers and also help out during road accidents. At present, the coordination between the traffic and the city police is good so it helps control the law and order. Dividing the police department will only cause confusion."u00a0