Politicians yes, but school administrators too?

I am not against children's rallies but it could have been held at non-peak hours. Why are police giving permissions?

This picture (below) is about one more traffic jam courtesy a rally organised at the peak hour of 9 AM on 21st Nov 08. This time the jam near High Grounds police station junction was due to the rally of school children who were participating in Chinnara Habba.

traffic stop scene

A good-samaritan acts, in vain. Pic: author.

This incident happened immediately a day after the political rally of JD(S) in which citizens were subjected to a horrendous time.

I am not against children’s rallies but it could have been held at non-peak hours. The school administrators, event organisers and the public adminstrators who give permission to such rallies are so insensitive to civic issues.

The rally blocked the traffic for almost 30 minutes causing inconvenience to a lot of office goers. Besides, as this road leads to the Internatioanal Airport any such traffic jam will result in total chaos because of the number of vehicles that pass through the road.

Since my vehicle was stranded on the road for quite some time I walked to the traffic police and requested him to stop the rally for ten minutes and let the traffic move on for some time, so that there would be some let up in the traffic build up. In vain. The police, who just follow instructions from top authorities, were just doing their job. They could do nothing except make the public wait till the rally passed.

It’s a shame on the school authorities for not understanding these kind of sensitive issues. In the first place, police should not give permission for any rallies to be held during peak hours. Secondly the police should act depending upon the situation and not follow the instructions blindly. It is always the public who are held to ransom.

But alas, the public either remains a mute spectator or curses the administrators, but does nothing else to remedy the situation. I appeal to the citizens of Bangalore to be proactive and lodge their protest against such situations with the public and government bodies.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

Walkability and affordable transit ignored as elections focus on big projects in Mumbai

Political parties are harping on big-ticket projects, while hardly anyone is focusing on the city's lifelines — BEST and railways.

As the Maharashtra state elections get underway, the daily struggles of Mumbai's citizens, especially their commuting woes, seem to be overlooked in the electoral discourse. Political parties are focusing on massive infrastructure projects, sidelining the city's lifelines like the Railways and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking in favour of the Metro Rail. Despite being partially operational, the Metro has yet to make a significant impact. Surveys reveal that 52% of Mumbaikars walk to work, yet on many roads, pedestrian infrastructure remains neglected, encroached upon, and unusable. While traffic congestion has made commuting a nightmare, trains are perennially…

Similar Story

Explained: Key risk factors behind 60% of road crashes in our cities

Rampant overspeeding, incorrect helmet use and drink-driving are behind most road crashes, finds this study in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region.

Road crashes and related fatalities have surged in metros like Bengaluru and often human behaviour may be responsible for raising the risk of traffic accidents. Since 2021, the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (JHUI) and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, have been conducting roadside observational studies in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region to assess human behaviour-related risks for road crashes. The ensuing report, 'Status Summary Report-Road Safety Risk Factors' highlights the prevalence of speeding, incorrect use of helmets, improper seat belt and child restraint use, and drink-driving. Dr Gautham M Sukumar,…