Only 400 Policemen Handling Daily City Traffic Challenges
Nagpur, India- Amid chaotic traffic jams and a series of fatal road accidents, the Nagpur Traffic Police are struggling to enforce the law due to a shortage of officers. Currently, only 740 traffic officers are assigned to manage the city, but 159 positions are vacant. This was revealed through an RTI application filed by Adv Rohit Badana. With these vacancies, only 581 officers are available to manage traffic in Nagpur.
A retired police official explained that out of these 581 officers, 83 are on their weekly day off each day. This means about 500 officers are available daily, but many are assigned to VIP duties or work in administrative roles. As a result, only around 400 officers are left each day to manage traffic.
The official mentioned that Nagpur is experiencing severe traffic jams and many road accidents. Poor road conditions, reckless driving, and the shortage of traffic police officers are major reasons behind these problems. Adv Badana suggested that the number of traffic police officers should be increased to 1,500 to better manage the city's population of about 4 million. He also recommended deploying more officers during peak hours, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am and 5 pm to 8 pm, at busy junctions.
