PONDA: Irate residents of Ponda town on Thursday said that instead of harassing two-wheeler riders at the congested market, the traffic police should focus on penalising those overspeeding and indulging in drunken driving on the highway to prevent fatal accidents.
The local residents said that since maximum fatal accidents are occurring on the highway and the main roads of Ponda town, the traffic police should be concentrating on regulating the traffic there instead of standing at the market area, where thrre’s lot of crowd and hardly any chance for any fatal accident.
The residents alleged that even while manning the roads leading to the market, instead of focussing on regulating the traffic snarls and easing the hardships faced by people, they are more focussed on issuing challans.
Local resident and social activist Viraj Sapre said the traffic police are more needed on the highway as motorists tend to overspeed on it.
“Due to less traffic and wider roads, the commuters tend to overspeed on highway. It is here the need of traffic police personnel is more. Police are not just supposed to issue challans, but also regulate traffic for smooth flow of vehicles. They should stand more on highway instead of the town and fine motorists,” Sapre said.
“It is very difficult to understand the rationale behind charging fines in the small and congested market area where speed does not even exceed above 30 km per hour,” he said.
Another local resident and traffic activist Dilip Naik said he was disheartened to see that people were losing lives on highways.
