Leader Writer: Wangkheimayum Bhupendra Singh
Road network in the state especially in Imphal remains much below the commuters’ expectations and has never been in a worse situation than at present. A widely discussed and a much debated upon topic, traffic congestion in Imphal City remains nonetheless at its worst. Driving around the state especially along the highways and inside the state capital has become a nightmare in recent times. And during office hours when traffic is at its peak, the scenario becomes from bad to worst; traffic along most of the roads in the state capital move at a snail’s pace if at all it is moving. Amidst such a scenario, our authorities are sensitive enough to have road blocks and notify traffic diversions/restrictions to accommodate state functions which are generally out of bounds for the general public. The state police observed the Manipur Police Raising day today at the 1st Manipur Rifles ground. Road diversions and restrictions were imposed along one of the busiest roads of the state, the GPO to Singjamei Chingamakha roundabout stretch of the Imphal-Moreh highway since early morning today, much to the distress of the general commuters. This would not be the first and the last of such incidents until the government and its authorities realised the difficulties road blocks/diversions on such busy roads cause the general commuters. Another problem regarding traffic flow in the state is the static road space and capacity. There has been a gradual increase in the number of vehicles in the state during the past two three decades, however, the road layout in the state has remained static as it was decades ago. As we see it, most roads are today unable to hold the ever increasing volume of vehicular flow. In all likelihood the numbers of vehicles will only increase on a daily basis and unless the government come up with a plan of road widening and better road and traffic management, the condition would only worsen. Traffic, along the Sanjenthong to the GPO crossing road stretch as on many other roads, has become nightmares during the morning and evening rush hours. Though there are also other roads connecting the two twin districts of Imphal East and Imphal West, the said road stretch acts as the most important connect between the two districts. Majority of Imphal East commuters take the road in order to cross over to Imphal West for their daily business and vice versa. Traffic congestion is not the only problem that commuters had to see while on the roads of Imphal city. School Students with backpacks speeding past on their fancy motorcycles and mopeds from all directions is another major concern. With private tuitions becoming a rage today in the state, the number of two wheelers on the roads has increased like never before. Students demanding a moped or a shiny motorcycle from their parents have become a common issue in all households today and the parents at most times obliged to the demands. What is peculiar about the issue is that one get to see students in their school dresses driving their motorcycles at a high speed and in groups. The official eligible age for obtaining a driving licence for private vehicles above 50cc engine or vehicles with gears is 18 years while for commercial vehicles it is 20 years. The question is does this students have a licence for driving their motorcycles and if they do then what does the state directorate of transport the concern department for issuing driving licences has to say about it. If one has to go by the local talks, every locality has a middleman of sorts who has easy passage to the competent authorities and that the quickest and most efficient way of acquiring a driving licence in the state is by paying just Rs 500 to this middleman.
Coming back to the problem of traffic, one should understand that it affects all of us and that individual effort is needed as much as government action to solve the problems. The state has seen an unprecedented motor accident fatality since the last couple of years which is obvious from the daily news reports of accidents in the state. The authorities have implicated certain road rules, people need to understand that such rules are for our own safety and we should abide by it. Wear helmets while driving two-wheelers and the vehicles should stop way beyond the zebra crossing. Drivers should understand that the zebra crossing should be left for pedestrians trying to cross the road. The government could start with widening of roads and controlling unwarranted road blocks and restrictions. The general public also need to carefully understand the driving guidelines and abide by it.
