Malda, Dec. 30: Truckers dropping coins into the open palms of traffic cops may be a common sight at busy intersections. But don’t dare mention it to the district police chief, not even in passing.
Malda superintendent of police Pankaj Dutta today erupted in rage when members of bus and truck unions brought it up at a workshop on prevention of road accidents, attended, among others, by Sailen Sarkar, the CPM minister from the district.
“Police take bribes because you give it to them. Why do you grease their palms in the first place?” Dutta yelled out. “I head the police department in the district, but I do not take bribes.”
He said he would issue an “immediate order” to arrest anyone offering bribes to policemen. “Any driver offering money to the on-duty traffic police will be thrown in jail from now on.”
As the bemused audience looked on, Dutta said the police always “got the rap” even though it had always “tried its best” to do its job. “What about the other departments? Nobody talks about them. The policeman is always the favourite fall guy,” he said.
The superintendent of police flared up when a bus union member said vehicles, fleeing policemen “chasing for money,” often ended up in an accident.
Dutta accused the RTOs of “turning a blind eye” to the overcrowded buses plying on busy routes. “RTO officials have a lot to answer for about their lack of action against the trucks plying overloaded.”
He said the roads, too, were in a bad condition. “In fact, the roads are so bad that the bus owners gheraoed the PWD engineers in protest.”
Dutta said blaming the road accidents on the police would not help solve the problem. “There is no point blaming us for accidents. The other departments are equally responsible. We all have to work together if we are to prevent the mishaps.”
The superintendent of police alleged that pollution certificates were being issued “in lieu of money”.
Regional transport officer Ajay Ghosh, also present at the workshop, however, did not take the bait. He limited himself to blaming the rising accidents on the increasing number of vehicles.
“The number of roads are not increasing, but vehicles are. So, it is natural that there will be more accidents,” Ghosh said.
Dutta moaned that the “good work” of the police was not appreciated. After he took over as the superintendent of police, he said he created traffic infrastructure.
“An OC has been appointed to look after traffic for the first time. Traffic policemen have been working in the district round the clock. But no one talks about it,” the officer said.
