New Delhi: The city police has informed the Delhi High Court that it has installed 57 auditory devices at traffic signals in the national capital for safety of visually impaired people.
Deputy Commissioner of Traffic Police in its reply filed before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw also informed that 35 more locations have been identified for providing auditory signals.
"... Delhi Traffic Police has provided 857 traffic signals and 401 traffic blinkers all over Delhi for ensuring smooth flow of traffic and safety of pedestrians and other road users. A total of 57 traffic signals have been provided with auditory devices for the safety of visually handicapped persons. In addition, 35 locations have also been identified for providing auditory signals," the reply filed through Rupinder Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Traffic Police, said.
"Besides, at locations on roads where there is continuous flow of traffic, 22 pelican traffic signals and 36 pedestrian traffic signals are functional which have the facility to provided adequate time in the signal cycle to pedestrians in safely crossing the roads," it said.
"Additionally, 96 signals with pedestrian aspects have been installed and it is envisaged to provide pedestrian aspects on nearly all the signals," the official said. The police filed its reply after the court in March had issued notice to the city government and civic agencies on a plea seeking direction to provide parking space to the physically challenged near the entrances of public buildings in line with the Master Plan Delhi 2021.
The bench had also asked Delhi traffic police, police commissioner and DDA to file responses. A PIL filed by Vinod Kumar Bansal, a social worker through advocates Anupam Srivastava and Sitab Ali Chaudhary, had sought the court's direction to the Delhi government and civic agencies to install auditory signals at red lights on public roads for physically handicapped.
The plea further sought directions to make pavements wheelchair-friendly. It pointed out that footpaths and pavements are constructed for free and safe passage of pedestrians. However, authorities have ignored their duty to regulate, "maintain and control the free flow of traffic and of the general public at large..."
The DCP also said in the reply that regular action is taken by traffic police to remove illegal parking. "The illegally parked vehicles are towed away by the cranes and clamps are also used. These vehicles are regularly being prosecuted in order to deter the motorists from indulging in this practice," the reply said.
It added that in 2013 it prosecuted 7,10,025 people and 2,96,232 in 2014 till April 30.
The official also stated that regular action is also being taken against second-hand car dealers, who are causing encroachment on the roads of the national capital.
The official said that the department launched a special drive on May 6 in coordination with the civic agencies for removal of encroachment "on specially identified 11 vital corridors in the NCT of Delhi, in which 567 encroachment have been removed, action has been taken against 180 vendors, 159 vehicles have been towed away, 1047 vehicles have been challaned and 145 notices for obstructive parking have been issued. The drive shall continue on regular basis".
He also informed the bench in the four-page reply that they have deployed maximum number of traffic personnel at all "strategic intersections and locations" of the national capital.
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