50 per cent traffic cops suffer problems due to noise, air pollution

The Pioneer , Friday, September 17, 2010
Correspondent : Alok Singh | Chandigarh
Regulating traffic in big cities of Punjab has cost dearer to State’s traffic police personnel who are suffering with problems like difficulty in hearing due to reducing audible range, respiratory problems and throat infections. Thanks to continuous flow of harmful toxic gases, noise pollution that owes to mushrooming of vehicles on roads across State.

Over 50 per cent of traffic police personnel in the State are suffering from various problems due to noise and air pollution, which they have to confront while managing traffic. Big city like Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala and Jalandhar facing huge traffic congestion on roads, especially during peak hours are accurate example of such problems.

“A large number of traffic police officials are suffering from one or another problem. Hearing impairment, throat infections and various kinds of respiratory problems are on rise among them. Those who are not suffering from this today, may suffer in the time to come because of the existing environment,” said a senior police official, requesting anonymity.

What more adds to the problem is the shortage of staff that leads to additional working hours on the field. Whereas the state required traffic police strength of over 10000 to maintain the traffic moment in the all 20 districts, only 3000 police personnel are deputed across the State.

Long duty hours, regular hearing of horns are damaging the audible range of their ears. This is not all, it also lead to throat infections and lungs problems due to high level of pollution on the city roads.

“The maximum duration allowed per day is eight hours for a human ear with the range of 90 decibels. However, here traffic police personnel regularly hear the voices for more than eight hours and their sound pressure level increased to more than 120 decibel. Suitable limit of a human ear is 115 decibel,” the official informed The Pioneer.

“It is obvious that if they work more than their duty hours regularly, they would be suffering with such diseases. Moreover, the voice range of the horns is normally high,” said the official adding that is why the police personnel are least interested in deputations for traffic.

A police personnel deployed in Ludhiana said: “Despite fixed duty hours, we have to serve more. That not only affects our heath but we face a lot of mental pressure too.” Even the government doctors also confirm the frequent rise in number of patients suffering from throat or lungs infections and hearing problems. Most of them are police personnel, especially traffic cops, said the doctor.

“This can be prevented by using face-masks and by avoiding constant exposure to loud noise during their duty hours,” added the doctor.

“Many states in India, like West Bengal Jammu Kashmir, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, have already stepped up in this direction by providing face-masks to their traffic policemen, fixing limited duty hours, while Punjab Police failed to do so,” said another police official. Also, there is not any fixed criterion for joining of Punjab Traffic Police. Personnel, who are deployed in districts for maintaining law and order, are deployed as traffic police to regulate traffic movement.

“The problem is big. We are taking the measures to highlight the problems at the higher level,” said the official.

 
SOURCE : http://www.dailypioneer.com/283556/50-per-cent-traffic-cops-suffer-problems-due-to-noise-air-pollution.html
 


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