IGP Basant Rath may have fixed J&K’s traffic woes to a certain level, but he is definitely not enough to solve every problem faced by the traffic policemen. The problem is that of absence of toilets at public places.

Doing duty for almost 14 hours at a stretch daily, our traffic policemen have no access to decent toilet facilities in most areas of our cities, let alone small towns. Lack of toilets takes serious toll on their health too.

A traffic policeman has been advised by doctor to drink more water to tackle water loss during summer days. And he shares his experiences as,

“In summer, one feels very thirsty and one has to consume a lot of water. There are, however, no toilets near our duty areas. At times, I go near the cremation ground where there is a toilet but that is not possible every time”

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Woman traffic police officers, managing traffic from 7 am to 9 pm daily, too face the same problem. One such officer says,

“When traffic policemen find it difficult to relieve themselves, one can understand how difficult it is for a woman officer”

It is sad to hear that J&K Police, despite getting lakhs of rupees every month from the salaries of its employees for the welfare fund fails to address the basic needs of the traffic police.

( Originally posted in The Tribune)