I received a rather strange suggestion from US Rana who suggests privatising traffic enforcement in the city. Well, it is simply not possible for the traffic police and the government to do so but since in this platform people can air their views so I am sharing his views with readers. He writes, “Our traffic rules are the best, best on paper. We trip at their enforcement. Maybe, they cannot be enforced for one or the other reason e.g., manpower shortage, interference by the politicians or higher officers, even fear of corruption, seeping into it even more ferociously.

“Having weathered privatisation and globalisation winds, I am emboldened to suggest that enforcement of traffic rules be privatised to start with only as an example through a pilot project. Bids may be invited for it from the public for myriad intersections in Delhi. To start with, I am ready to bid Rs 5,000 for two hours on any working day for the T-junction where O.P. Road and Vasant Marg meet by the side of the Nigerian High Commission. Collection of fines recovered on the spot within a week will be an eye-opener.”

Well, wherever there’s money, corruption will just seep in. Moreover, it will only increase road rage incidents and one will see just brawls on every intersection if it is done. I think traffic cops are doing a fine job but their attention needs to be diverted towards regulating traffic rather than just prosecuting offenders and making the government richer by means of challans. The lower staff of traffic police work overtime to meet the target set by bosses that they don’t get time to regulate traffic at all junctions. I am all for raising the amount of fines which, as of now, are paltry and doesn’t pinch the Delhi driver. If the fine is steep then the Delhiites will think twice before committing an offence. The idea here is to implement traffic rules on the road and not collection of money by prosecuting offenders.