Sir
The other day as I was walking back home, my eyes fell on a traffic signal hanging beside a foothpath. Coincidentally, the next moment I heard the traffic policeman shouting at the top of his voice requesting a driver to stop his vehicle. I hold immense respect for them for trying their best to maintain ‘dignity’ on roads, but what relevance do the traffic lights hold? The traffic is terrible almost every single day, with most cars trying to overtake as if a competition is on. Why are the traffic signals standing almost all across the city with no role to play? Even though the authorities might have tried their best to utilise the traffic signals, the truth actually stands beside the roads all around the city, in a helpless condition. The investments have been made long back, however, the losses are being paid for everyday. For a developing city like ours, it is sad that the government could not identify the dire need and prominence of these signals which actually must be placed at all road intersections and crossings.
I hope action is taken against this matter, not only for proper functioning of the city, but also because development is a must. While every other developing city is functioning well, thanks to traffic lights, the traffic conditions in our lovely city is bad. The truth is bitter and it is not hidden. Each day, we witness packs of cars stuck on the roads. Shillong witnesses a huge number of tourists come in every year. While the views are beautiful, the weather pleasant, the people lovely, the traffic is appalling. Now that schools and offices have opened post-Covid, the ballyhoo of traffic is about to reappear. In this case, the traffic lights must come to play, however, the signals in Shillong city are there, standing useless, staring as cars go crazy.
Ritika Phukan
Shillong