Here’s how Bengaluru traffic police beat the heat

Hameed Ashraf | NT

S ummers are the worst times for those who have to work outside, braving as they have to, the scorching sun. From dailywage earners to traffic personnel, many in the state have to work standing in the sun as temperatures in various parts of the country have crossed 38 degrees Celsius.

Bengaluru city has been experiencing severe heat waves in the last few days. But the City traffic police personnel are not shying away from performing their duties.

A 38-year-old traffic constable Shivkumar (name changed) begins his shift at 8 every morning. Irrespective of the rising mercury over the last couple of weeks, he monitors the traffic at major junctions be it in Adugodi, Madiwala or other areas including the Silk Board, where heavy vehicles ply around the clock. The traffic police constable finishes his duty by 6 pm and ends up with a number of ailments such as body pains and heat-related diseases.

“After coming home, I suffer from body pain, pain in my joints and severe headaches caused by standing in the hot sun for long hours. Sometimes, I suffer from sleeplessness, dehydration and fever. Because of inhaling pollutants at my workplace, I also suffer breathing issues,” he said.

A number of traffic police personnel have been bearing the brunt of the summer heat, while manning junctions exposed to the blazing sun. What seems to add to their woes is that there is no dedicated fund for the traffic police to buy them summerrelief kits. The department wait’s for sponsors for financial help to distribute buttermilk, water packets and the likes. There have been several occasions when a few nongovernmental organisations had contributed for the sake of traffic policemen working in such conditions, said another traffic constable.

“Sometimes, co-workers share buttermilk and water. But most of the time, we receive water and cool drinks from some Good Samaritans, who pass by. A few locals, especially college students, see us monitoring traffic here on a daily basis and provide refreshments as a gesture of their gratitude,” revealed a traffic police constable working near the St John’s traffic signal on Hosur Road.

A senior traffic official said, “We tell them to stand under a roof, say at a traffic booth, when there is no traffic. In some junctions on Hosur Road and other major signals of the city, traffic police need to be alert throughout the day. There, we deploy multiple policemen to work on a rotation basis,” he said.

The traffic police force forms a major part of the society in cities such as Bengaluru where the traffic is huge, and plays a significant role. Hence, their problems need to be addressed. One major concern is that the public holds a very negative opinion about these traffic controllers, while problems they face are not even looked at or taken into consideration.