Singh One of the serious problems facing country side and in the cities is concerning infrastructure.
The critical areas are many but nothing counts more than a good road for speedy and safe transit for moving vehicles.
Apart from construction of roads, which, to some extent, is being done very well by National Highways Authority of India, it is the problem of use and maintenance of roads.
In the absence of proper safety consciousness, the roads are turning death traps even in metropolitan cities like Delhi where on an average four deaths take place in a day and there are countless unreported accidents and injuries.
The blockades and the traffic jams account for countless hours of productivity loss and hardships to the commuters.
Unfortunately, the only remedy to reckless driving is familiar strategy to build more speed breakers and challan the speedy traffic which is, perhaps, the simplest and crudest method of ensuring a good road culture.
It is important that mobile squads of police and maintenance people should jointly carry out the audit of the city roads periodically.
Some of the common problems which are unchecked pertain to thoughtless use of roads for which necessary checks as well as remedial measures can be adopted.
There is no system of ensuring that blockades of roads during peak hours do not take place.
Most frequently one finds that the maintenance agencies are working during peak hours which involve checking of lights and applying white markers on the roads and similar other maintenance activities.
There should be strict discipline of carrying out these type of activities during non-peak hours.
I have observed over the years that in many places in Delhi the traffic signals are not visible as the same are either blocked by lamp-posts or by trees and nobody has taken care of re-locating them.
Instead of putting mindless signage welcoming and thanking people it is better to put signage which informs in advance the turning points and the important institutions and places.
Most of the roads have lost their capacity due to unregulated parking on the roads which can frequently be seen in Defence Colony and Yusuf Sarai and many other prominent places in West and East Delhi.
Even National Highways are being misused by people.
During peak hours, I have observed 90 per cent of travelers from Gurgaon to Delhi and vice-versa are using mobile phones which is instrumental in disrupting traffic.
Apart from this, cows, dogs and other stray animals like pigs, are frequently found on the Highway and this remains unchecked.
Travelling from Delhi to Gurgaon, one finds dozen of dogs lying dead on the road and it seems that nobody has the responsibility to remove them promptly.
As a result, the flow of traffic gets deflective causing accidents sometime.
It appears quite amusing to see that in India road is not taken as a public property for the purpose of smooth transportation but is being used as a private property for either displaying ones goods in the markets or putting up gates for functions.
Even in rural India (in Orissa), I noticed half of the roads are blocked by farmers to drag their grains.
Consequently, only half of a single road is available for traffic.
It is not uncommon to see the buses, trucks and cars which break-down are just parked in the middle of the road.
I think this is high time that the authorities which build and maintain roads should own responsibility in continuous looking after them properly and to clear the obstacles promptly and to ensure some degree of road discipline.
While traveling in Tokyo in Japan, I noticed smooth roads leading to Airport while maintenance work was being undertaken.
I was told that the construction, maintenance as well as putting up any sewerage lines or electric poles is the responsibility of the same agency which helps ensuring complete coordination.
On the other hand, in Delhi, it is a common scene that soon after a new road is constructed, one can see the same is being dug up by other agency for laying telephone cables or other such activities, etc.
I have seen in Saket that new pavement had been constructed by one agency and the same was dug up by another agency only after a few days for laying telephone cables.
Adding to the vagaries, the same was left out without even lavelling the dug up material and putting the pavement in walking condition.
In other words, the system of functioning in cubby-holes, which is a typical style of government functioning, is reflected on the roads itself.
I think some positive steps need to be taken to provide proper parking areas.
It should be the responsibility of owners of large buildings like Cinema Halls or Shopping Malls to make arrangements for adequate parking instead of using roads.
This needs to be strictly enforced.
Similarly, while developing roads, especially the national highways, it is necessary to provide at appropriate distances the side maintenance platforms for parking the break-down vehicles.
This is quite common in European and other advanced countries.
It is not a luxury but essential step for keeping the highways flowing.
It is essential to undertake strict regulation for bus and truck drivers.
Sometime the entire road is blocked by two-three buses moving simultaneously on the road.
Most of the bus drivers park their vehicles in the middle of the road to take or drop the passengers.
This constitutes a serious offence but no notice is being taken of this.
The drivers of city buses are driving vehicles at reckless speed and using center of the road for parking vehicles whenever they likel instead of moving to the nearest stop of the bus stand.
Similarly, instead of putting up too many speed breakers, which represent anachronistic approach of management, the regulating bodies including the police, should ensure better discipline and training of drivers.
All drivers need to be trained on safety signs and the rules apart from physical check-up of eye sights as well as psychological tests.
No licence should be given without this training of at least three months' duration.
In case any driver fails on safety regulation he should not only be fined but should also be asked to undertake training again and till then his licence should be impounded.
In Delhi, it is frequently seen that many drums are kept on the roads, creating zig-zags, for security purposes which leads to traffic jams so there is need to employ more modern methods to avoid unnecessary congestion on the roads, particularly, in peak hours.
There is more need for vigilance by the security personnel on the roads rather than putting barriers on the roads during peak hours causing harassment as well as inconvenience to the commuters.
The movement of VIP traffic adds to these woes.
The diversion or closing of a road should not be undertaken for anyone except the top two to three levels of the government and foreign heads of countries.It is high time that all authorities concerned with building and maintenance of roads as well as regulation of traffic coordinate not only to ensure an efficient road discipline but also to do their best to ensue more convenience as well as smooth drive for the users.
It should be the responsibility of the coordinating agency to ensure comfort and safety for the people using roads.
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