First of all, I would like to clear one thing, I am not writing specific to Bangalore Traffic Police, I want to write in general for traffic police but no such category is provided so selecting Bangalore police category to write my views.
Few general questions for all mouthshut readers....
What if Air Conditioning of your office goes of for an hour? do you shoot an email or phone call to facilities department? do you shout/scream on them?
What if you have only one common wash room in your office and that is also closed for maintenance?
What if a tea/coffee vending machine is not working?
What if water dispenser runs out of water in your office?
What if your printer runs out of paper?
What if your office boy is little late in getting you a tea or coffee?
What if .........number of questions can be asked.
VERY IMPORTANT ! Now gather all the answers and your reactions in your mind and read below......
We talk about work culture, work environment, work place, we are very very choosy about where to eat, what to drink, hygiene at every place we work, where we go, where we eat etc.
Are these facilities available for traffic police. These are luxuries for traffic cops. Can you imagine standing for 8 to 12 hours a day in sun, rain, pollution and smoke of YOUR vehicles?
Traffic police work in extremely bad working conditions. They need to tackle with arrogant people like us every now and then who believe in following self made rules and care a dam about rules and laws.
Certain scenarios I would like to express here which is my observation and I am sure yours too.
Many traffic signal squares doesn’t have public toilets around
No drinking water facilities
No proper shelter and even if shelters are provided, police really can not control traffic sitting in those shelters
No proper places to eat their tiffins
For all these things they need depend on near by food stalls or small hotels. Not every hotel owner is pleased to serve them, they feel "Aagaye free of charge". Nobody provides them a bottle of water. no body cares for installing a fan for them or a toilet on every signal. They don’t even get a transportation to their workplace
Can you imagine, standing in any square for an hour controlling traffic? Do you really want to do it practically?
What we see and blame about, how they are corrupt? how the hog money and how they trouble you?
We always see the negative of their role.....but really think, why they get opportunity.
Cant you drive without breaking rules, cant you keep your vehicles papers ready and to date like PUC, insurance? And in any un avoidable situation, if you get caught, why cant you pay fine and ask for the receipt? the fines are not too high, they are well below your multiplex ticket or your pub entry fee or a beer bottle in good restaurant.
You don’t want to pay the fine and do the adjustment so they earn out of your chosen convenience. and why not?
What is your salary? must be more than 20K+. Do you imagine a pain of running a family in 8-10K per month. They always and everyday have a botheration of ever-increasing expenses.
Now another side of story...
After standing every day for 8-12 hours in such horrible working conditions, you definitely need a drink or two. Can you afford to drink everyday in 8K? NO. They also have tremendous work pressures, Many times they don’t even get weekly off due to ministers visit, some public rallies, some riots or social events. Many times they work for 24-36-48 hours at a stretch. What they get out of it is sad looks from people like us.
They also have families, kids like we have. They also have feelings and emotions. at times they have more work pressures than us. But they cope up with that...how? I don’t know.
Now you will say, they have chosen to be a policemen and they knew what working conditions they will go through, so why I am writing about it? So dear readers, even if it is their job, they are doing it for you, they are doing it for law and order, they are there so you can reach your destination in reasonable time. Now increased traffic is there headache because you have made your country more populated and you drive recklessly. but they try to manage it. If they don’t manage it, I am sure we will take 200% time to reach our destinations.
Again saying, they are screwing their health for you. Look, at what rate many health issues they have started facing. At least, your job is not having such side effects.
Being corrupt is just a part of this story and by showing all these aspects to you, I do not mean to justify their being corrupt. But, I want you to think, have some humanity in you. Look at the scenario as a educated and socially sensitive person.
My experience about traffic police, if you approach them for any help with respectful way, they will go out of the way and will be more than happy to help you. In Mumbai, I always ask a traffic police for address which I am searching for and they have helped with a smile on a face. Give them respect, don’t give opportunities to them to be corrupt. Look at them as a human being. Help them as a literate and civilized citizen. Let them concentrate on real pain areas of traffic. If you commit mistakes, they will need to spend their time on you, but if you don’t, they can contribute towards more dense problems which our country is facing.
You may laugh at my views, you may rate it low, you may comment badly but really I am not writing this for such things. I was planning to pen down my views as a sensitive human being and I did it. Some may like it some may not but my personal views can not change.
To clarify again....I am not a policeman, neither anybody in my family is police, I don’t want to justify their corruption but just want to tell you the another side of the story to make it complete.
BE HUMAN, TREAT EVERYONE AS A HUMAN ! Thanks.