The Bangalore Traffic Police finally seems to be taking steps to solving one of the most acute pain-points of the city – its traffic. The city’s traffic police appear to be going head over heels in plans to apprehend traffic violators and control traffic.

This concern was evident when the Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa inaugurated a new Traffic Management Centre (TMC) on Monday, 6th October. The city’s current TMC has been running from the Ashoknagar Police Station, since April. The new TMC will act as the the nerve centre of all traffic related activities in the city and will function from a state-of-art building in Infantry Road.

From left to right: Praveen Sood (ACP) Traffic, Shankar Bidari (City Police Commissioner), M Krishnappa (BJP MLA, Bangalore South), V S Acharya (Home Minister) B S Yeddyurappa (Chief Minister), Aravind Lambavalli (Minister) and R Srikumar (IPS, state DGP). Pic: Supriya Khandekar.

Unlike the present TMC the new centre will have a building with two floors with world class equipments. An architectural representation was put up at the function. The new centre will have 400 surveillance cameras to monitor and regulate traffic. Data collected will be used to design a traffic signal system consisting of synchronization on major corridors and area traffic control.

Around 100 enforcement cameras and 800 vehicle-actuated, solar-operated traffic signals will be operated from the centre. Variable Message Signs (VMS) will be put up and operated from the TMC, conveying live information to road users about diversions, road accidents or rallies.
The centre will have an information cell which will provide real-time information about traffic conditions through SMS and FM radio channels. The centre will also have other commuter-friendly services like traffic helpline and parking information. All this has been done under the BTRAC programme.

The new TMC is estimated to cost Rs.12.8 crores and will be undertaken by Karnataka Police Housing Corporation over the next 18 months. An additional Rs.30 crores will be spent on components inside the TMC, which will be integrated during construction.

“This (the new TMC) centre will be revolutionary in technology. The facility will also help the police keep a watch on activities in the city, which ultimately helps curb the terror menace,” said the CM.

At the same time the Chief Minister promised to spend Rs.79 crores in total for traffic management in the city. The old TMC will not be functional once the new TMC starts operating.

The function also saw inauguration of four new traffic police stations in Electronic City, Whitefield, Chikkajala and Devanahalli.

Vehicular traffic on Bellary Road has increased after inauguration of the new airport. A new building for the Devanahalli police station will be constructed at a cost of Rs 2 crore, at BIA, said the Chief Minister. “After the new airport the pressure on traffic police has also increased in that place thus it is urgent to have a police station there,” he explained.

For the Electronic City police station he said that because of the growing IT industry the number of people coming to this part of the city has increased. Also there are a number of industries thus there was a need for a new police station in this area. Same is the case with Whitefield and surrounding Chikkajala.

The Traffic Police Department organised the event in colaboration with the Electronic City Association and Infosys. Also present were Home Minister V S Achraya and minister Aravind Lambavalli, DGP and Chairman Karnataka State Police Housing Board R Srikumar, Infosys Human Resource Director Mohandas Pai, IPS officer Jija Harisingh, former Police Commissioner of Bangalore Achuta Rao and ACP (Traffic) Praveen Sood.

Also present was the city police commissioner Shankar Bidari who said around 37 traffic policemen will be sent to Singapore soon to study the traffic management model there. At the same time the Bannerghatta police outpost will also be upgraded soon.

The Chief Minister also said that the traffic police had launched 90 new signals across the city in the last four months. By January 2009, the total number of signals will reach 380. ⊕