THEY think that they are very smart and intelligent and great go-getters. They also think that everybody else on the road is a bloody fool and timid. So, looking at all others with disdain, these smart go-getters just zoom past traffic signals triumphantly -- as if they have just conquered an enemy post ! On the ground of reality, all these go-getters look actually stupid, idiotic and brazen law-breakers. They don’t look smart. They don’t look intelligent. They only look plain hooligans who have no respect for the law and the system and the other people on the road. The Traffic Police do try to nab these go-getters every now and then. But with every passing day, their numbers are growing and the frequency of their brazen conduct is also getting beyond physical control of the Traffic Police.

 

If we wait at any busy square in the city of Nagpur for about an hour, we may see about a thousand violations of traffic signals -- which the Traffic cops just cannot stop even though they make serious and sincere efforts to do so. After a while, as we may see, the Traffic cops on duty just give up their attempt to stem the tide of utter and widespread lawlessness. It must be admitted that social and voluntary groups like Janaakrosh make valiant efforts to ‘culturise’ common people on issues of social and traffic discipline and civic sense.

 

Those efforts do bring good results, all right. Yet, the sheer numbers of people violating rules of and practices of traffic discipline makes the efforts look negligible. The numbers of go-getters on the road are increasing every day. They push through crowded streets and go past red lights in the most brazen manner -- looking at others as fools and nincompoops. What can Traffic Police or Janaakrosh do in such a situation of widespread social rot ?

 

The loosfooter tried to accost a few go-getters to tell them to conduct themselves well. But all he got into were street fights -- which he would never prefer. He is capable of tackling the go-getters physically as well. But feels that a social shame of such dimensions cannot be treated like this. In other words, what needs to be done is to redraw the larger strategy to tackle these brazen, arrogant, (and criminal) street go-getters. And this task cannot be left only to the Traffic cops or Janaakrosh or such similar groups. The entire society will have to step in and stop the open and brazen rot on the roads. n