Samikhsya Bureau
It would have been better had the state government of Odisha seen the chinks in the new traffic rules that was virtually like setting a cat among the pigeons when the traffic police went rough shod to punish the violators on the road.
Late in the day but, nevertheless, the chief minister Naveen Patnaik was under compelling reasons to halt the exercise mid-way when it was enough and the people indeed backfired and played a role reversal by raiding on the police vehicles itself and caught them off guard. Instances were poured at the door steps of the police commissioner office, forcing the commissioner to come out and realise what went wrong in that exercise.
The focus was distinctly noticeable and the scores of people who faced the slaps of the penal provision were mostly either two wheelers or Auto rikshaws or some freight carriers . The penalties were too much for the ones who got the challans and media publicity also played a crucial role in the awakening of the government.
Good that the chief minister quickly took note of the people’s firepower and asked the police to retreat to the barracks thus allowing a period of gestation for the people to set the records straight.
It is all right that the implementation of the new traffic rule was a baby of the Centre but that does not mean that it should have been brought down to the roads with such vehemence. That was what which left the people dumb-struck for days before the latter came to realise that, enough is enough and what was seen on that day was a miniature reminisce of Hong Kong protest.
‘You cant take us for granted’ was the buzz behind and for many in the town it was a huge respite but a sudden nightmare for the police itself. The Commissioner of Police, Sarangi’s discomfiture was so discernible and his interaction with the media that day was an overdue obligation he chose not to heed earlier.
