Operation Achanak

"Achanak", that was the name of a drive by the Pune traffic police to check traffic violations. The headline in the newspaper stated how much money was collected by the authorities in terms of fines. At times, it does seem as if the KRA of the traffic police is to collect fines, rather than to make roads safer and usable. How many times have you seen policemen waiting to leap out of hiding at an errant driver/rider when they could have stopped him/her from risking their and other peoples’ lives? The traffic police also have my sympathy. We are an incorrigible people and will take any and every shortcut we can find, no matter what the risk. But, safety is a culture that isn't going to crop up "achanak se". Unwavering and thorough vigilance, backed by education, the kinds the Chandigarh police reportedly use (videos of accidents in Chandigarh caused by traffic violations), could do the trick.