The recent traffic regulation issued by the Salangtem Ward Yimden in Mokokchung town has been appreciated by a lot of people, although a section of the people has raised some pertinent questions on it. Those who appreciated the regulation included the immediate benefactors, the authorities of the two schools located in the locality.
Parents and guardians of the younger students studying in the two schools must have also found it as a welcome action because it will make it more convenient for them to drop or pick their wards without traffic hassles. Apart from relieving the traffic congestion in the narrow stretch of the road, it will also save a lot of time and tension.
Moreover, it will also avert potentially dangerous accidents during rush hour. It will also save other commuters travelling through the particular road by diverting their route instead of getting stuck in a traffic jam.
For the above reasons, it is understandable why the Salangtem Ward Yimden’s traffic regulation has been well received by many. However, some observers have raised a very pertinent question on the Yimden’s move.
They have questioned why a Yimden should be bothered to issue a traffic regulation when there is the Traffic Police who are salaried for the job. It is to be noted here that they are not questioning the authority of Salangtem Ward Yimden but are instead asking why the Yimden should be doing something that the Traffic Police ought to be doing in the first place.
It is learnt that the number of traffic police personnel in Mokokchung is inadequate to cover the whole town. Traffic congestion and control in the main town area is enough to exhaust the human resource available at the disposal of Mokokchung Traffic Police. Perhaps, the situation has come for Mokokchung to demand more traffic personnel.
There have been some people asking the question of whether Mokokchung deserves a traffic control officer in the rank of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) now. Given the fact that the number of vehicles in Mokokchung are rapidly increasing year on year, traffic congestion is bound to surge and it would naturally require more traffic police personnel to keep smooth flow of traffic.
Coming back to the Salangtem Ward Yimden’s traffic regulation notice, it is to be noted that this is not something new and that it has been promulgated out of necessity. In fact, the two schools in the locality are reported to have employed a few youths to aid in alleviating traffic woes and it indicates just how dire the situation has become.