Police is meant to render convenience to the common man, but has, instead, become synonymous with inconvenience and the blame for the sorry state of affairs goes to Dehradun Police SSP Kewal Khurana and Uttarakhand Police DGP BS Sidhu, who has failed to take cognizance of things since December 21.
Recently, Dehradun police has introduced a traffic plan in between Astley Hall to Chakrata road without going through proper home work. They have introduced such plan when business community, especially hoteliers, laid the red carpet to welcome the visiting tourists during Christmas till New year. When The Pioneer asked SP (Traffic) Pradeep Roy whether they have any figure how much traffic crosses the Clock Tower every day or during 6pm to 8pm, he said that as per their survey, 60 per cent of total traffic, which comes from Rajpur road side to Clock Tower, takes right turn from Clock Tower to reach Chakrata road and remaining 40 per cent goes left to reach Darshanlal Chowk. It has raised several questions whether police really cares for people's convenienceIJ Is police trying to blackmail the business community, which have been craving for helpIJ Why the police introduced the new traffic plan at allIJ It is clear that to facilitate 40 per cent of total traffic, police have imposed new traffic plan and created nuisance for 60 per cent. As per the new plan all traffic will have to take left turn from Astley hall and right turn from Clock Tower in between 6pm to 8pm.
It means if you want to go to Chakrata Road from Rajpur road then you will have to take left from Astley Hall, then right from Kanak Chowk then right from lansdown Chowk then right from Dilaram Chowk then Clock Tower. If you want to visit Darshan lal Chowk from Chakrata Road, then you will have to take left from Clock Tower, then right from Astley Hall, then right from Kanak, then right from lansdown, you will reach Darshan lal Chowk. Ironically, the State Tourism department is working on all aspects to promote tourism, which has slowed down after disaster in June 2013, they had organised Adventure Car rally and going to organised three days long Winter line carnival in Mussoorie in between December 27-30, but police has imposed new plan to create nuisance. It is known fact that a large number of tourists come to Mussoorie every year to celebrate New Year eve or New Year celebration. Most of the tourists either visit from Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. Interestingly, all three States tourists take Clock Tower route to reach Mussoorie.
This will create nuisance for the tourists if they enter into the city in between 6pm to 8 pm.To know about the people perception, The Pioneer visited shops in between Astley Hall to Clock Tower and found everybody was cursing police for dictatorship. When the pioneer asked them that will you say something on record then they said that they know that Dehradun Police is superior then all. For instance, they imposed one way traffic system in Subhash Road and Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, which uses to visit his office situated in secretariat through special gate made at Subhash Road, but now he has been using general gate at Rajpur road to enter into his office.