Noida:
Constables Akshita, Aruna, Priyanka and Sangeeta handled vehicular movement at the Sector 1 roundabout in Noida on Friday, becoming the first women personnel from Traffic Police to do so in Gautam Buddh Nagar, officials said. The four constables, all born after 1990, are among the first six women personnel who have volunteered for the traffic enforcement duty on the ground from the desk work, the officials said.
The other two constables, Neelam and Antim, are currently on leave and will get to the ground duty once they resume service, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Rajesh S said. “Friday was the first time women personnel took charge as traffic enforcement officials on the ground. Four of them were deployed at the Sector 1 roundabout, near Sector 15 metro station, and they did a fine job,” Rajesh told PTI.
The officer said previously the women personnel had remained on desk and office work only but six of them volunteered to get on the road once the proposal was floated by him. “I was thinking why they cannot be put on enforcement duty. Today, we have women in India flying fighter jets and certainly, traffic regulation duty is not that difficult. When the idea was floated, they got excited and opted for the new role and they are doing well,” he quipped.
He said before sending these constables on the ground for duty, they were given proper classroom training and equipped with skills to navigate the challenges. For initial days, they are being assisted by some men head constables as a precautionary measure and also to keep a check on some people who get unruly on the road, the DCP said.
Currently, there are 405 constables including 15 women personnel in Gautam Buddh Nagar Traffic Police. The officer said if more women express the desire to join the enforcement duty, the department would consider their request.
He added that there could be some issues for women while performing their duty on the road but the department would take decisions accordingly to ensure hassle-free work environment for them. “Like we have decided that the personnel can return to the office during non-peak hours of traffic for rest. Likewise, we will take decisions as per the situation,” he added.
