Safety last on festivals

Bikes with three riders teetered as they zipped past, silencers removed, horns blared in a continuous off-key tune, kids rode atop taxis with flags waving in their little fists — these were just some of the sights people saw on December 2, as the city celebrated Id-e-Milad, the birth of Prophet Muhammad.

While holy texts and scriptures may have doctrines about celebrating certain occasions, nowhere can one find a complete suspension of basic civic duties and traffic and safety rules. And yet, with each festivity, the city finds more and more traffic and safety laws being blatantly ignored.

Summarising the traffic situation in the city, joint CP traffic, Amitesh Kumar said, “There were around 67 processions all across the city, and we had elaborate measures in place to ensure that traffic rules would be maintained. Unfortunately, some still get through the gaps. Though I don’t have the exact numbers, I can tell you that we handed out a lot of chalans.”

Sumaira Abdulali, founder of the Awaaz Foundation, applauds the fact that not as many loudspeakers were allowed. Although there were DJ consoles, most of them could not blare songs due to crackdowns by the police. However, this may have been what led to the incessant honking, the activist conjectures. “We may be speaking about the bikes and honking now because it happened yesterday, but laws are broken in some form or the other during all festivities,” she asserts. “It is a dangerous tendency — this suspension of all laws and civic duties whenever there is a festivity. And the tendency is always to shift the blame somewhere else. You try and speak about it during Id and you’ll have ten people telling you that traffic laws are broken during Janmashtami. You tell people to observe more decorous festivities during Janmashtami and they’ll tell you to stop speakers from blaring from mosques. The blame game continues, when really everyone is to blame.”

Comedian Karan Talwar points out that every individual is to blame for the situation. “The law is that you have to wear a helmet and for breaking the law they must be fined. It is a black and white picture. It’s pure hooliganism and no one else but the ones creating such ruckus on the bike should be held responsible. We can’t keep blaming officials and politicians for everything; it’s the citizens that need to shoulder  the blame,” he asserts.

The city’s finest — the traffic policemen — are all set for a season of fighting traffic issues, with the number of festivities lined up throughout the month of December. “We are geared up for the festive season and are both trying to create awareness, as well as deter the lawbreakers through enforcement mechanisms. Hopefully, the mix of the two will work,” sighs Amitesh.

The onus, ultimately, lies with each person to ensure that the festivities are both fun and safe. “It begins at home,” Sumaira starts. “Children should be taught that nothing — not even religious sentiments — warrants the breaking of laws. Earlier this year, I saw parents giving very young kids firecrackers during Diwali, and they ended up throwing these at each other. That can’t be the attitude of parents. You need to understand that if something happens to your child, it will only affect you. Keeping that in mind, each individual should try to create a difference.”