Joshi orders all districts to prepare for bigger holiday crowds from Dec 24 onwards
PNS | DEHRADUN
In view of the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations, the director of the Traffic Directorate Arun Mohan Joshi has issued an order to all district police incharges regarding traffic management for events taking place from December 24 to January 2. In his order, Joshi said that the State witnesses a variety of religious, cultural and public events during this period, attracting a large number of local citizens as well as tourists from neighbouring States. He has instructed all senior/ superintendents of police to compile a list of locations where such events are planned or where large crowds are expected. Once the event sites are identified, the police must prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure safe traffic management and to prevent any untoward incidents, as per Joshi.
He instructed that areas with high traffic volume must have proper traffic diversion plans in place along with alternative routes. Adequate police forces should be deployed where necessary to maintain order. Given the expected influx of vehicles, well-planned parking arrangements should be established ahead of time to accommodate the crowd efficiently, he said. He further stated that due to the significant number of tourists expected to visit popular destinations such as Nainital, Kedarnath, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mussoorie, Dehradun and Ranikhet, specific instructions must be issued to traffic personnel.
Besides this, necessary signage, including signboards and barricades, should also be installed to guide traffic effectively and ensure smooth operations. Joshi directed to take strict action to curb accidents caused by drunk driving, overspeeding and rash driving. A detailed action plan should be developed at the police station level to enforce traffic safety measures, especially in light of the increased travel during this period, he said. The director has mandated that these points must be included in the SOP and submitted to the Directorate soon ensuring that all traffic management measures are in place to handle the increased traffic from December 24 onwards.
