A 9-year-old girl was roaming helplessly around the crossing of Raybahadur-James Long Sarani. The little girl seemed mentally distraught and confused as she approached a rickshaw-puller pleading him to take her to the Howrah station. The rickshaw puller sensed that something was not right and approached Mr. Kanchan, the Officer-in-Charge of James Long Traffic guard for assistance.
The OC immediately sent out one of his sergeants Mr. Palash Haldar to secure the child and escort her to a nearby tea-stall. The officer remembers that the girl was incoherent and had many inconsistencies in her statements. He noticed that she even had a side purse with herand after searching it, he found a small diary with exactly two numbers in it. After trying the first number for a good 20 minutes, a voice stated that he knew no person of such name. When it seemed that all hope was lost, the officer again searched the diary and an address was found–Satyen Roy Road. The Officer immediately sent one of his sergeants to the address with the picture of the girl. It was found that the girl’s father had died two years back and recently she lost her mother, her grandmother identified herand confirmed that this child is indeed her granddaughter who lives with her. The OC after receiving the confirmation took the child to her home and reunited her with her worried family. Mr. Kanchan was gleaming with satisfaction as he narrated the incident to me. An act according to him that has brought immense satisfaction and pride in himself for being apart of the Kolkata Police.
“The traffic load in the area is high as during peak hours commuters use this area to access the northern part of the city and vice-a-versa”
James Long Traffic guard is situated strategically between Raybahadur Road and James Long Sarani. I was greeted by the OC himself. I was curious to understand what is exactly the role of a traffic guard beside dealing with the traffic. The OC explained–the traffic is the first point of contact for the masses as far as the police are concerned and thus, it is imperative that traffic represents the professional and duty-bound attitude that is associated with the force. The work portfolio of the trafficguard is thus not restricted to maintenance of traffic only but also includes assisting people on the road without regards to the nature of their problem.
The area has three schools and the traffic guard ensures that during the opening and closing hours of those schools, Sergeants from the traffic guard are present to ensure that no problem is faced by the students or their parents while crossing the roads or parking their cars. The trafficguard regularly conducts roadside counselling of the people, making them more aware as to why following traffic rules are important and the various aspects of ideal road behaviour. The emphasis, the OC stated is on the curbing of jaywalking and conducting outreach programmes to schools and colleges.
The traffic load in the area is high as during peak hours commuters use this area to access the northern part of the city and vice-a-versa. Reflecting upon the characteristics of the area, he commented that the residents follow traffic rules quite ardently. He also mentioned placing spring posts to counter the dangerous tendencies of some to overtake other drivers in the road, which in many cases lead to a mishap.
“ He completed his Bachelor’s in Arts from Brahmananda Keshab Chandra College and went on to complete a diploma on computers from a private institute”
The Officer-in-Charge joined the force on April 2,1990, after which he got his training in Barrackpore and joined the traffic in 1998. Reflecting on a career spanning nearly 3 decades, he said that he feels satisfied with his job as it gives him the opportunity and the capacity to help people and the community. The officer is also a huge fan of Amitabh Bachchan though he recently shifted his preference to Salman Khan. He completed his Bachelor’s in Arts from Brahmananda Keshab Chandra College and went on to complete a diploma on computers from a private institute. He comes from a family of policemen with his father also serving in the police force.
In conclusion, he said with confidence that the awareness level among the general public about traffic rules have gone up considerably due to campaigning and state-backed efforts. It is also his belief that the people working with him at James Long Traffic Guard are his family and he always makes sure to go the extra mile to ensure that people working under his command are content and happy.
By Anubhav Chakraborty
