To prevent traffic snarls on the arteries entering the city from North and South 24-Parganas, Calcutta Police has proposed several measures to its counterparts in the districts.

The suggestions include basic traffic management training for constables.

At a recent meeting, deputy commissioner (traffic) Jawed Shamim explained to officers from North and South 24-Parganas how the city has been suffering due to their traffic management failure.

“Traffic snarls are an everyday affair on Prince Anwar Shah Road, Tollygunge Circular Road, Diamond Harbour Road and Ultadanga crossing. It is impossible for us to manage all the vehicles that enter the city from the districts. As a result, snarls develop,” said Shamim.

The district police officers explained why they cannot manage traffic as well as Calcutta Police. “They said poor infrastructure, especially dearth of manpower, was responsible for poor traffic handling. Drivers become more cautious once they enter the city, as they know there is tight vigil,” added Shamim.

An officer of the traffic department stated: “It is true that the district police are short-staffed. But the snarls are also caused because those who control vehicular movement have never gone through basic training. Which is why, once a motorist enters the city, he or she clearly feels the difference in traffic management.”

He added: “Every day, 2,000 policemen and 200 sergeants are deployed on city roads to ensure smooth traffic movement. Each city traffic guard consists of 15 sergeants and a batch of 150 constables. Traffic guards in North and South 24-Parganas have two officers and six constables each. Besides, the constables are not trained.”

Elaborating on the tips that Calcutta Police offered to its counterparts in the districts, an officer who attended the meeting said: “Our first advice was to train the constables. We are ready to help them learn how to manage traffic. We asked them not to allow a large number of vehicles to enter the city simultaneously. They should understand the problems caused by this. We also explained to the district police the capacity of the roads on the city fringes and how many vehicles can ply on them.”

North 24-Parganas police superintendent Praveen Kumar said: “The process of training the traffic constables is under way. Soon, more police officers attached to the traffic wing will be imparted training. We are thinking of increasing our manpower to cope with the work.”