Kiran Bedi as IG ? Aayee-ji !

Chandigarh has not only grown out of its original concept but spread in all directions. While giving it the status of a metropolis, this phenomenon has created numerous problems, particularly relating to law and order and traffic management. Of late these vexatious issues have been debated in numerous seminars and functions. In this context, the appointment of Kiran Bedi as the new Inspector General of Police is a welcome development. She will bring with her a varied experience in handling different portfolios, including traffic management, jail reform and training of police personnel. Whether it was her posting in the Delhi Traffic Police or her appointment to oversee Tihar Jail functioning, she made a distinct mark. In Traffic, she was referred to as quot;Crane Bediquot; for her efforts to discipline the wayward motorists. In Tihar, her approach flustered the conventional establishment, but in the process, she earned a lot of goodwill 8211; and international recognition. Her unorthodox approach to issues and problemscould bring the much needed improvement to Chandigarh too.

Traffic management is becoming a major problem in the city. Of course, during the past five years a number of steps have been taken which helped matters. For example, slip roads have been built, traffic lights have replaced many roundabouts and steps to curb overspeeding have been introduced. Yet parking chaos outside leading schools and educational institutions is a common sight. Underage kids particularly the offspring of political bigwigs taking to the wheel and drunken driving are increasingly jeopardising peoples8217; lives. Peak hour congestion on certain roads is getting worse. With settlements such as SAS Nagar, Panchkula, Zirakpur, Naya Gaon and Kharar having no boundaries to growth, the traffic to and from the city is multiplying manifold. While some of these problems call for long-term solutions, better traffic management can definitely lessen the misery.

But it is the increasing lawlessness that evokes most concern. Since most of the incidents occur on the city8217;s outskirts, the Chandigarh Police cannot be held responsible for preventing them or tracking down the culprits, but these murders and dacoities underline the need for city police and the police in the nearby townships to coordinate their efforts. Within the city too, what with the growth of slums, the city8217;s crime graph is showing a varying curvature. Immediate steps should be taken to ensure that the city and its surrounding areas don8217;t go the Delhi way, where burglaries and murders are commonplace. Some of the city police8217;s problems stem from never-ending political pressures, which are directly related to Chandigarh being the seat of three governments. Kiran Bedi is no messiah but her no-nonsense yet humane approach could make a difference to the increasing problems of a burgeoning metropolis like Chandigarh.