Tony Stark of the popular Sci-Fi flick ‘Iron Man’ would soon start doing research on the physiological status of Ranchi police, if he came to know that the cops’ bodies were resistant to road traffic accidents. For, the cops neither wear helmets while riding their bikes nor they feel it necessary to fasten their seat belts while driving four wheelers ferrying even VVIPs like the Chief Minister and the Governor of the State.
Majority of cops and drivers of Government vehicles do not find it important to wear helmets or putting on their seat belts in Ranchi while using their vehicles whether on duty or off duty. And, their brethren on the traffic posts and squares scarcely stop them to penalise for the same offence for which the common man is fined and humiliated every now and then.
Ironically, the Ranchi traffic police have launched special drives recently to encourage people wearing helmets and seat belts. The traffic police officials also claim to have collected huge amounts of money by imposing fines on violators of the traffic rules in the past six months but they seem to be rather entirely oblivious of the fact that personnel of their own department openly violate the rules.
“Humlog ko kaun rokega. Sab log to pahchanta hai. Bhai log hai samjhta hai (Who will stop us. Everyone recognises us. They are brothers and they understand),” said a constable near Kanke Road post in the VVIP area of the Capital city.
When asked why they do not wear helmets the cop casually said that carrying a helmet is a burden and no one deems fit to wear it in the busy traffic as the speed of vehicles in the town was very slow. “Jarurate nahi hai. Humlog kahe bojh uthate firen (There is no need. Why should we carry a burden),” he said.
Helmets apart, putting on a seat belt is considered a taboo among Government drivers here. Be it a police driver or a government car driver, no one fastens one’s seat belt while driving in the city. Even those taking VVIPs like the CM or the Governor in their official cars are not seen to have fastened their seat belts.
“Please do not ask me such questions. Do you want to take my job. We have never been told or reminded by anyone about seat belts. No one uses seat belts here. If you find one, he must have come from a metro city or some other state,” said a Government staff who drives the vehicle of constitutional entity in the State.
Ranchi SP (Traffic) Rajiv Ranjan Singh, however, sounded quite ignorant of the fact as he said that law was equal for everyone and such cases had not come to his knowledge. “We will surely take action on the violators. If anyone is found without helmets or seatbelts action will be taken, irrespective of their post and nature of job,” said Singh.
Singh, though, agreed that cops and Government drivers can set a good example before the society by following traffic rules and set a nice precedence before the masses, especially the youths who are worst victims of road traffic accidents in recent past in the city.