Defunct traffic signals double trouble for city commuters during Monsoon

Apart from water-logging, the non-functional traffic signals in the city becomes a major cause of traffic snarls during the rainy days. And the department has no solution for it. For the last few days, commuters have been facing long traffic snarls due to water-logging, non-functional signals and vehicle breakdowns.

According to the traffic police department, as compared to the routine complaints about the non-functional traffic signals, there is a steep rise of around 45 per cent in the number of complaints during monsoon.

On an average, the traffic control room receives around 30-40 complaints of non-functional signals in a day, however, it almost doubles when it rains in the city. “The reasons attributed to the non-functionality of the traffic signals are the increase in number of power cuts during rain for faults either in the underground cables or the outdoor cables and local police switch them off to save it from any damage,” a traffic cop in the traffic signal unit said.

Another cop, requesting anonymity said : “The poor maintenance and outdated technology are the other reasons responsible for the non-functional signals during rain.”

Usually, it takes one to two days to repair the signal if the cable is old and is an outdoor cable but if there is a short-circuit or other fault in the underground cable, it takes more than 15 days to one month, depending upon the area and the intensity of the fault.

Currently, there are 16 teams consisting of three members — Senior Engineer, Electrician and a helper — to take care of around 890 traffic signals that are installed in the city. Each team travels in either an Eco or a van with all the equipment available inside the car.

But situation worsens when the team itself gets stuck in traffic snarls. It delays the repair process. Apart from this, if the fault appears in the underground fittings, they have to seek permission from the PWD or the concerned authority to dig the road. Usually, the authorities don’t give permission to carry out digging in the monsoon as the department is already flooded with complaints of the water-logging and potholes.

It is worth mentioning that on an average, Delhi Police give Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 for the maintenance of each signal.