Senior BJP MLA Suresh Kumar took the role of a traffic police constable and managed peak hour traffic for two hours in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
"Following traffic rules is a matter of fundamental duty; when right is replaced by duty, every resident can contribute to minimise the traffic jam," Kumar told NDTV after he managed traffic at the city's Bashyam Circle in Rajajinagar.
The former education minister performed duty as a traffic cop as a part of the "Traffic Cop for a Day," an initiative launched by the Bengaluru Traffic Police, where citizens can volunteer to help manage traffic and offer suggestions to ease congestion. They'll get to work along with officers or staff of the jurisdictional station by registering through the BTP ASTraM app.
"I gained immense experience by working as a traffic police constable for a day, and I enjoyed this work. This initiative by the Bengaluru Traffic Police is truly welcome. The experience of controlling traffic during the peak hour at Bhashyam Circle in Rajajinagar this morning was unforgettable," Kumar said in a Facebook post.
He has also shared a video where he can be seen wearing a traffic police jacket and working along with other police personnel, managing traffic, interacting with them, manning the signal control post, and questioning the public who violated traffic rules at the junction.
"Today in a way is a festive atmosphere for me. We celebrate and participate in various festivals and events, but the experience I gained as traffic police personnel is unique, as I personally got to know the way the commuters follow or react to the traffic rules and how they respond when an effort is made to make them understand the rules," Kumar said in the video post.
Stating that he was planning for a long time to manage the traffic one day at the busy Chalukya circle near Vidhana Soudha manually, he said, "I have managed traffic at Modi junction and Navarang circle on various occasions, like during rains and traffic jams. When I saw the Bengaluru traffic police's announcement on social media that any citizen can become a traffic police for a day, I enrolled myself."
He also said that his experience from 9 am to 11 am on Tuesday helped him understand the issues faced by a traffic constable and thanked the traffic police for the initiative and the opportunity.
"I have told the traffic police that he will be with them for an hour every Monday to support and help them in managing or controlling the traffic. It's a good experience in life," he added.
(With inputs from Deepak Bopanna and PTI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
