Srinagar, Aug 8: At a time when the traffic police department is facing shortage of workforce, the government has reduced its strength by around 20% by shifting of the staff from City for law and order duty.
 The weakness is feared to further the traffic mess on normal days.
 Greater Kashmir learnt from reliable sources that the Home department shifted around 50 constables and two officials of the rank
 of Sub Inspectors from their traffic policing assignment to law and order maintenance.
 The decision, as per the sources, was taken in the wake of “shortage of Kashmiri cops” to tackle the unrest against killing of civilians in Kashmir.

THE SIDE-EFFECTS
 Out of the 250 odd cops on duty in the City, over 50 have been taken away to join the Khaki ranks totting guns and lathis.
 The shortage is feared to further the traffic mess on Srinagar streets on normal days when there are no restrictions and the Hurriyat led by Syed Ali Geelani, which is spearheading the ongoing movement, announces relaxation.
 “This is simply because on relaxation days, more people come out to accomplish pending assignments be it shopping, going to offices,” said a senior police official.
 Estimated over three lakh vehicles zoom past the City streets on relaxation days. Observers have been saying that there is a “psychological reason to this unusual inflow of vehicles as people want to finish their pending assignments in a day.”
 Psychiatrists term the public behaviour as “natural reaction.”  “This is all the way a natural reaction. If you remain out for a long
 you have a yearning to come in. Same holds true the other way as well,” says a psychiatrist.
 Observers said it was difficult for the traffic cops to manage huge flow of vehicles with “meagre resources.”
 “They have been unable to ensure to smooth flow even during normalcy. Now when the traffic flow is expected to be more, how will the limited number of cops on beats be able to tackle the situation?” argued a retired police official.

SUNDAY SCENE
 The traffic trouble remained comparatively less on Sunday as most of the government offices remained closed and many a parent fearing trouble didn’t send their wards to educational institutions.
 Still there were jams at some places.
 At Rambagh a huge gridlock of vehicles could be seen near the Women’s Police Station.
 “Can’t you provide us respite for even a day or are you people are hell bent to put us to trouble,” shouted a annoyed driver at a traffic cop.
 The irked lot was seen being pacified by a lady official of traffic police who arrived at the spot and got the obstruction cleared.

AUTHORITIES SPEAK
 A government official said the traffic cops haven’t been transferred but are on a “temporary law and order duty.”
 “The moment the situation goes normal, we will shift them back to traffic,” he said.
 “Moreover, the traffic police has been idle for most part of the past two months due to curfews and Hartals… Why not to put them to some work,” argued a senior official in the civil administration.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 8 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST