These women decide when you can drive on to Parliament

“This area has important government buildings like the North and South Block,and Rashtrapati Bhavan. It is a high-security zone. All (traffic) movement in the area is managed by women personnel. They work in two shifts and they are doing well,” said Shivani,Inspector in-charge of the team.

According to Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg,it was the good performance by the women personnel that earned them a deputation at this prominent junction. “In a way it was a deliberate decision,to see how they perform. They have done a good job,” he said.

“Women traffic cops are very polite. They are serious about their work and do not accept bribes,” said Shivani.

For the women at the junction,the job is a challenging one and the presence of an all-women crew is an advantage.

Anita (23),who works morning shifts at the Chowk,said every member of the team understands other’s problems,leading to better performance.

“All of us are friends here. We understand each others household problems. If any day,one has to go home early,she can always discuss and exchange shifts with the other. I got married last week,and was on leave. Till then,all my friends here took care of my duty,” said Anita,who is also preparing for an S-I examination.

The team believes that they have been able to prove a point by performing well,without any male counterpart.

“Managing traffic is difficult,by managing it alone we have proved that we are no less than our male counterparts. Earlier,women traffic cops were not taken seriously,but now times have changed,” said Jyoti (23).

The team has been given special instructions for VIP movements. “We have to be extra alert. This is not just about managing normal traffic,but all the VIP movement. Whenever,we get a wireless that the President’s car is coming or any delegation will be passing through,we run to the intersection. Everyone takes their specific positions,stop the all other traffic and manually manage everything till the convoy passes,” said Neera (22).

As the intersection is in the middle of tourist attractions like India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan,it usually gets many visitors. The officers believe that women are more presentable as compared to men,which could be another reason for their deployment here.

“Women cops managing traffic also looks more presentable,because of the way they do their work. Their hand movements are so swift. They are young and enthusiastic and take their work very seriously,” said Shivani.