Highest ever: Bengaluru now has 530 traffic wardens

They are citizens who give their time to regulate traffic and spread awareness. This year, they also helped distribute food and rations

Dr B Suresh Kumar, chief traffic warden, is a businessman who has been volunteering for 20 years.

Manish Ranguta, deputy chief warden, has 18 years’ experience, and says the current batch of traffic wardens is well educated and uncompromising when it comes to discipline.

The Bengaluru traffic police have roped in 200 citizens this year to assist them in regulating traffic and educating motorists.

That makes the total number 530, the highest ever in the city.

Traffic wardens, as the citizen-volunteers are called to work with the police, and it is a completely voluntary service with no monetary benefit.

Dr B R Ravikanthe Gowda, joint commissioner of police, traffic, says traffic wardens have given quality time to the police during the pandemic.

“They helped us distribute food and rations, and are now helping us ease traffic. We have recruited 200 wardens and 120 more are ready to be inducted,” he told Metrolife.

Dr B Suresh Kumar, chief traffic warden, Bengaluru City Traffic Warden Organisation and a businessman by profession has spent 20 years as a traffic warden.

He says two rounds of recruitment have taken place this year: in February and June.

“With the new recruitments, the total strength of active traffic wardens in the city is 530,” he says.

This is the highest ever number volunteering as traffic wardens. The group includes 31 women. Twenty more are joining in soon.

Manish Runguta, deputy chief warden, Ulsoor sub-zone, who has done extensive Covid regulation duty, has been a traffic warden for 18 years. “The constant battle was between fulfilling my commitment as a traffic warden and making sure I stayed safe to keep my family safe,” says Runguta.

He adds, “The wardens plan activities that help people understand that freedom comes with responsibility. We are doing everything in our capacity to make people understand that a virus doesn’t distinguish between the rich and the poor. It affects everybody alike.”

He says the current lineup of traffic wardens come with good education and an uncompromising attitude towards discipline.

Airport duties

Dr Usha Mohan, a motivational speaker and chairperson of Bango Trust, has been volunteering for 12 years.

This year, she began Covid-related duty in the second week of March and hasn’t missed a single day.

“I was posted at the Majestic bus stand, railway station and at the airport. These were the hotspots of the virus, but I took it up as a challenge.”

She went around in an auto, mic in hand, talking about the need to take precautions against the virus. At the airport, her duty was to make sure domestic and international passengers strictly adhered to the quarantine rules.

“As a motivational speaker, I also did my bit to ensure that passengers were stress-free. I would interact with them, reassuring them that there was nothing to fear,” says Usha.

What do they do?

Traffic wardens are people from all walks of life — software engineers, teachers, principals, and industrialists — who volunteer their time to spread awareness about road safety.