Kiosks to protect traffic police from toxic air at intersections
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We will organise technical workshops for the men to be deployed at these booths so that they learn to analyse air quality data from kiosks. KK RAO , police commissioner
GURUGRAM: Exposed for hours to extremely polluted air with little or no protection, the city traffic police will soon be able to breathe easy. The police on Friday unveiled the first prototype of a special booth, which is fitted with solar-power panels, air purifiers and air quality monitors at Bakhtawar Chowk.
Police commissioner KK Rao said they plan to set up 39 more such booths at major intersections across the city. Of the total 900 traffic cops in the city, 350 are deployed to manage traffic on busy junctions every day. The cops work in eight-hour shifts.
Studies have shown that air is highly polluted along busy roads due to vehicle exhaust. In Delhi, during a medical check-up done to evaluate the effect of pollution on traffic cops, it was found that one in every seven was suffering from respiratory disorders.
Health experts say that traffic police personnel are most vulnerable given their prolonged exposure and are more prone to catching allergy and infection that lead to asthma, in extreme conditions heart diseases and in some cases even cancer.
Senior police officials, associated with the project, said they are running a pilot in Gurugram and, if successful, the booths will be installed across the state. Gurugram police has taken the initiative and arranged funds for the projects from various corporate firms out of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) accounts. One kiosk will cost ₹40 lakh.
Commissioner KK Rao said the kiosks will ease the job-related hazards of the men who manage traffic in the city.
The kiosks will have also help monitor air pollution better as the data from the air quality monitor on each kiosk will be collated by a special four-member team. However, it is yet to be decided whether the data will be shared with the state pollution control board or the commuters in real time. Currently, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board runs two air quality monitoring stations in Gurugram — one at Rajiv Chowk and another at Vikas Sadan.
Traffic police inspector Devinder Singh, who manages traffic at Bakhtawar Chowk, said, “I feel suffocated while managing traffic here. Off late, I am suffering from breathing problems. Cough is very common.” He said besides pollution, they also face a number of other problems such as there are no points for charging mobile phone, no place to sit or keep food or water.
In Gurugram, policemen are provided masks each year, but wearing masks is not mandatory for them. By comparison, the Delhi police last year made it mandatory for all on duty traffic policemen to be equipped with this safety feature. However, doctors have pointed out that masks are not a foolproof measure against pollution and they have to be the right kind and worn properly to be effective.
The kiosks also have fans and surveillance cameras, and will offer the personnel a direct line to the police control room. The tools, officials said, will help in better management of traffic and penalise traffic rules violators.
“We will organise technical workshops for the men to be deployed at these booths so that they learn to analyse the air quality data from these kiosks,” said Rao.
The booths also solve a logistical issue for policemen, who are required to be on their feet during peak traffic hours, but do not have any designated quarters for non-peak hours. “Earlier we had to stand in the corners or under the tree but now we have a designated place from where we can view traffic flow,” said Arvind Dahiya, inspector (traffic), who added that this would also help them ensure better road safety.