Traffic cops in Gurugram get new postings via draw of lots

A draw of lots system was used to reshuffle zonal officers of traffic police and post them at 103 locations in Gurugram on Friday to regulate traffic, according to police, who added that it was the first time such a system was used here.

According to the police, Gurugram police commissioner Vikas Kumar Arora proposed and implemented the idea for the first time here to eliminate any grievance or favouritism related to postings.

According to officers, all of the posting locations were written down on pieces of paper and placed in a jar, and traffic officers were instructed to pick them one by one for future posting. On Friday morning, all the officers had gathered at the commissioner’s office for this purpose.

They said that once an officer picked up a paper, the location of posting written on it was noted by the other officers in the commissioner’s presence.

A senior police officer said that several times, those posted in the field have held grudges against their colleagues for being assigned to a location with less traffic flow.

“Other types of grudges are also expressed by traffic zonal officers posted in the field. The draw of lots system ensured transparency,” said the senior police officer, asking not to be named.

Subash Boken, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said that all officers were immediately deployed to their new locations.

Meanwhile, Virender Vij, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), inspected several city locations for traffic decongestion on Friday. Officers said that he issued directions to open the U-turn on the way to Millenium City Metro station from Signature Tower to avoid gridlocks. He also ordered the closure of the exits near Haldiram and Lemon Tree, which cause traffic jams during peak hours. Officers said that the changes were made on a trial basis and that depending on the outcome, they may or may not continue.