Violations to traffic rules on the streets of Ranchi is not an unusual sight on normal days and celebrations for the nature’s festival just turned out to be the day when the city’s traffic moved more with exceptions than the rules. Triple riding, riding with no helmet and similar sights of traffic rule violations are anything but obvious tendencies to which many youngsters succumb to and sour the mood of those who believe in celebrating the festival with peace of mind.
As all roads on Monday led to Albert Ekka Chowk where various groups congregate to end the day of the festival on higher note and anticipate fruitful and prosperous days ahead, desolate streets elsewhere enchant people with no respect for traffic rules and open show of uncivilised road etiquette of many.
“Forget triple riding, those who peacefully take part in the procession of Sarhul are sometimes at risk because of rash driving that is a common trend in the absence of proper policing on the festival. You will never find these hooligans going with the crowd. Their speed and direction suggests that they are happier celebrating weak policing than the festival itself,” said owner of a restaurant situated at Ratu Road.
Presence of traffic police was very low in other parts of the city except on important stretches leaving believers of nature worship at the mercy of unruly vehicle rider. The drive that is usually conducted to control on road behaviour of people were absent because of sheer magnitude of people that hit the streets of capital to celebrate Sarhul. The festival is typically a day when even police doesn’t attempt to exert undue pressure on worshippers and leaves everything at the common sense of people who come out on road with their vehicles.
“There were no specific plans for today however we will think something and plan something accordingly in future,” said SP-Traffic, Karthik S. Interestingly, police found no case of traffic violation despite eye-popping incidents on stunts on the streets.