In this summer when most of us choose to take refuge from the scorching sun, the woman traffic cops could be seen busy maintaining the flow of traffic, braving the sun.
When almost all the major roads to the city wear a deserted look the lady cops execute the duty shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts.
Krishna Yadav a lady traffic cop who has joined the traffic department about two-and-half months back and this is her first summer season controlling the traffic at one of the busiest traffic squares of the city Shastri Chowk tells that glucose water and fruit juices are her best pal against the ferocious heat. Krishna Yadav further says, for a cop duty is duty and it has to be done against all odds.
Similar view is shared by Usha Kiran Chandrakar a traffic cop hailing from steel city Bhilai and has been working in the department for three years.
She says that the cap heats the head and augments the risks of heat stroke. “The large size umbrellas installed at various squares are the only place to have some respite during the hot hours,” says Chandrakar who is posted at Shankar Nagar Chowk.
She tells many time due to excessive heat, headache and nausea symptoms occur but again duty is duty, one has to perform she adds.
To a query about the skin and beauty concerns of lady cops Meena Bhagat, another traffic cop who is presently posted at Nagar Ghadi Chowk says beauty remedies are of no use for lady cops.
“Suppose we use any cosmetics to save our complexion then again we have to come into the sun, which make the remedies useless. Another lady cop on the condition of anonymity says controlling traffic in Raipur is quite a difficult task, as if anyone is caught violating traffic rule they try to go away using contacts at higher level.
According to traffic department, the lady cops are deployed in two shifts, one starting from 7 to 12 O’clock and other from 4 to 8 O’clock.