New traffic chief Talks Tough

Jitender took over as the city’s Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), last month. Speaking exclusively to Ch Saibaba of Hyderabad Hans, Jitender presses on the need to curb traffic violations in the city and to enforce discipline among commuters. He is unrelenting when it comes to enforcing the mandatory helmet and seat-belt rule and wants to reprimand violators

“A new challenge awaits me every day at my job and I love to face and solve it,” says Jitender. A positive mindset and willingness to confront challenges upfront encapsulates the new Additional Commissioner of Police, Traffic, who took over the charge on February 17, swapping roles with Amit Garg as the IG, Vigilance and Enforcement Wing.

A highly decorated police officer, Jitender looks forward to offering his best as his department encounters fresh battles to tackle the ever-burgeoning traffic in the city.

itender, who is 50, belongs to the 1992 batch of the Indian Police Service (IPS). He holds MSc and MPhil degrees. He has bagged many awards including the meritorious Antrik Suraksha Seva Padak (Internal Security Service Medal) in 2004 and Indian Police Medal in 2009. Jitender is fluent in English, Hindi and Punjabi. Hailed as a gentleman officer, he has an impressive track record. Known for his tough stance against violators and for his people-friendly approach, Jitender built his reputation amongst his bosses. He wishes to transform his ideas into a reality and also believes in the power of a smile to motivate his colleagues.

As the new Addl CP (Traffic), Jitender wants to intensify efforts to check drunken driving, track violators and defaulters and enforce traffic discipline. He wants to ensure that cameras are installed at important junctions and sensitive points to monitor and curb road violations and other issues.

Jitender admits that he is startled by the nature of serious violations on the roads and vows to change the mindset of commuters for safe and secure driving. Since the enforcement of a fine for drunken driving from November 4, 2011, the city traffic police have booked 28,000 cases where 1,600 have been imprisoned including 20 women. These drives which were specifically conducted during the late night hours on every weekend would now be conducted on week days too.

“Now our top priority is to increase awareness among the public regarding the use of helmets and seat- belts. We will initiate tough measures in a phased manner to ensure the effective implementation of this rule,” says a determined Jitender.

He continues, “The Hyderabad Traffic Police department has printed approximately 4,75,000 brochures highlighting the significance of wearing seat belts and helmets. It is being distributed in a phased manner through our 25 traffic police stations. 3 Es are the need of the hour -- Education, Engineering and Enforcement. This will make Hyderabad a safe city and will ensure a happy driving experience for commuters.”

Expressing concern over the violation of traffic rules, Jitender says that all road users should be aware of the rules and follow them. He also advises parents to ensure that their children do not indulge in rash driving.

“So far the Hyderabad Traffic Police created awareness among 80,000 students from nearly 4,000 schools besides educating about 2,000 RTC drivers. The awareness drives will be intensified from time to time to achieve our mission to reduce the number of accidents,” says Jitender.

With a promise to make Hyderabad a safe city, Jitender appeals to the public to buckle up the seat belt in the car and wear a helmet on a two-wheeler to prevent fatal injuries. He reiterates that the Hyderabad Traffic Police will be people-friendly to those who don’t violate traffic rules.

Why the traffic police insist on wearing a helmet and a seat belt?

The helmet is a protective gear to prevent a head and/or a brain injury. In an accident, the helmet absorbs the force of impact which reduces injuries to the head and brain. A properly fitted helmet can reduce the risk of a head injury by 85 per cent and brain injury by 88 per cent. Brain allows one to see, think, hear, communicate, move the body and feel emotions.

Damaged brain cells do not heal like muscles or bones. Brain injuries may affect balance, coordination, motor skills, strength, endurance, memory, language, and many more day-to-day activities. A fall from 2 feet can cause brain damage and a fall at 20km/hr speed is enough to cause death. Children are 14 times more likely to survive a bike crash if they wear a helmet.

Seat belts keep the driver safely held to the seat and from being thrown out of the car.

They also hold the driver at the strongest points of his body (the hips and shoulders), spreading out the force of the crash on the body, protecting the neck and spine.