Navi Mumbai traffic police lay red carpet for app-based buses on Palm Beach Road

 

Buses move with “blessings” of city cops despite a 2001 notification banning heavy vehicles on the stretch

 

Navi Mumbai, December 20, 2021

 

Rahul M Tawade

 

Come January 1 and the Navi Mumbai traffic police will launch a Road Safety Week with great fanfare and invite celebrities to grace various functions, visit different schools in the satellite city to create awareness among children about road safety and traffic etiquettes, conduct awareness workshops for motorists and heavy vehicle drivers.

Ironically, these are the same officials who, otherwise “conveniently” turn a blind eye to the complaints lodged by citizens for their vested interests.

Last week the Palm Beach Road in Navi Mumbai witnessed an accident, wherein the two occupants of a SUV died on the Queens Necklace of city. The accident brought to the fore several questions related to safe motoring on the Palm Beach Road.

It is a fact that in most cases rough driving is responsible for accidents on this stretch of Navi Mumbai. However, it is also equally true that the traffic branch has been acting as a catalyst by turning a blind eye to plying of heavy vehicles, especially app-based buses which move during the busy office hours, on the Palm Beach Road.

 

Special concession given to app based ‘Cityflo’ and Mylo Rides buses in Palm Beach Road

 

Being a regular traveller on the Palm Beach Road, I had faced the brunt of these buses which stop abruptly midway so that the passenger can board or alight. I had written an email to DCP (Traffic) Navi Mumbai on January 4, 2020 drawing his attention to the plying of Shuttl buses on the Palm Beach Road. I had sought to know whether the traffic police had withdrawn their 2001 notification which barred movement of heavy vehicles on the Palm Beach Road from Moraj Circle in Sanpada to Killa Gaothan in Belapur.  As usual I never received any reply from the office of DCP (Traffic) (In fact I never expected any reply from them).

In the last few months, I am seeing buses of several companies like City flo and Mylo Rides breezing through the Palm Beach Road with total impunity and with the “blessings” of the Navi Mumbai police. I am deliberately using the word “blessings” because the traffic constable posted at Moraj Circle (Sanpada) will go out of the way to penalize a two-wheeler rider or a four-wheeler driver for traffic violations (like removing key of vehicle or sitting on the bonnet of a four-wheeler) but will never stop the heavy buses of Cityflo and Mylo Rides that pass before him.

The RTI reply given by Navi Mumbai police is very clear – they have not given any permission to heavy vehicles to ply on the Palm Beach Road. Additionally, the reply mentions that they take regular action against such violators plying on the Palm Beach Road. However, the department does not have any details regarding the number of Cityflo and Mylo Rides buses that were penalized from September 1, 2021 to October 31, 2021.

On November 8, 2021, I again wrote to the DCP (Traffic) drawing his attention to plying of these app-based buses on the Palm Beach Road, and presented evidences of booking for buses from the Palm Beach Road. However, till date no action has been taken. On the contrary the number of such app-based buses plying on the Palm Beach Road is increasing with each day and it is a real mess during the evening hours, where there is a long queue at traffic junctions and the heavy vehicles either stop midway and block the stretch.

Please note here I am restricting myself to the mention of Cityflo (launched services to BKC from December 6) and Mylo Rides because I have seen their buses during my travel on the Palm Beach Road. There may be many more such buses which must by plying on the Palm Beach Road.

 

 

 

How the constables vanish from the Moraj traffic junction from 7 PM to 8 PM

 

After I brought to the notice of DCP (Traffic), as to how the traffic constables, who were prompt in penalizing the two-wheeler riders and four-wheeler drivers, allowed easy movement of the app-based buses along the Palm Beach Road without even prosecuting them. I expected action from the traffic department against such heavy vehicles. However, there is a wide gap between expectation and reality and what happened next day was that the traffic constables themselves vanished from the Moraj junction signal.

I have not seen a traffic cop manning vehicles from 7 PM to 8 PM at this junction because it is the time during which the app-based buses pass through this road and so there is no question of stopping them, penalizing them and no questions asked by residents.

However, such conduct of selective prosecution is sending a wrong message among the residents and tarnishing the image of Navi Mumbai police, but who cares for the image, our concerns are for …… (needless to say).

The traffic department, which was prompt in issuing press releases patting their back regarding action taken against helmetless drivers and signal jumping has only collected a fine of Rs 1,200 from heavy vehicles for plying on Palm Beach Road, while it has issued 58 e-challans the amount of which is yet to be recovered (for period September 1, 2021 to October 31, 2021).

As a Navi Mumbai resident and regular traveller on the Palm Beach Road, my only request to the traffic police is to strictly follow the notification issued by them in 2001 banning entry of heavy vehicles on the Palm Beach Road in letter and spirit. Hope better sense prevails over the officials in the interest of community good.  

 

Do such app-based companies have scant regard for law of the land

 

One more important question that comes to the mind here is that do the corporate groups which operate such app based buses have scant regard for the law. It is high time that such groups understand that they also have some social responsibility and adherence to the law is their prime duty. You cannot target profits every time.

 

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