PONDA: Locals of Curti, Ponda, Khandepar and Usgao on Wednesday voiced their concern over the dereliction of duty by three traffic policemen, including a home guard, at the narrow Khandepar bridge.
Many locals pointed out that most of the time, instead of guiding vehicles from each end of the bridge, the three were often found on one side, laughing and gossiping, without paying heed to control traffic.
This attitude leaves one end of the unmanned bridge in chaos, resulting in blockades, jams and traffic congestion.
According to Viraj Sapre the three try to perform their duties together, standing at one end and sometimes are even seen sitting in nearby restaurant enjoying tea, during duty hours.
Other Curti and Usgao locals point out that most of time they ignore the traffic duties and only rush when things get out of control on the bridge and traffic congestion is witnessed, with long queues on either sides of the bridge.
This is among the several reasons for traffic congestion on the narrow bridge, which inconveniences a lot of regulars and others travelling on the route.
Locals have requested concerned authorities to direct the three police personnel to stand on initial positions to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
When contacted, Traffic PI Ram Asre said the three policemen are meant to control the traffic on both sides of the bridge and affirmed that their duty was till 8 pm.
When asked about the locals’ complains, he said the traffic police were doing their duties properly, but sometime petty accidents also caused congestion on this route.
