Helicopters to beat Delhi traffic

The first time such an experiment was conducted in the country was during the Durga Pooja idol immersion ceremony.

Encouraged by the handiness of a helicopter in traffic management on busy days, the Delhi Police may soon approach the Union Home Ministry to seek advance annual approval for all events for the next year.

Tuesday, which saw traffic jams due to the ongoing Chhath Puja celebrations, was the third time in less than a month when the Traffic Police used a helicopter to monitor the situation.

The first time such an experiment was conducted in the country was during the Durga Pooja idol immersion ceremony.

The police again turned to helicopters to monitor roads during the pre-Diwali rush.

At present, because of the amount of paperwork involved, it takes at least a week for the traffic police to seek approval for procuring a helicopter.

An annual approval will help plan them well in advance and better utilise the helicopter, said senior traffic officials.

The police may now seek permission for 50 to 100 hours of flying time in a year.

“We will consolidate the events and festivals across the year and then anticipate the number of hours in a calendar year when a helicopter would be required,” Muktesh Chander, Special CP (Traffic), told The Hindu.

If permitted, the helicopter will be utilised for monitoring and regulating traffic on days when the entire city, or a considerable part, is affected by traffic, Mr. Chander added.

The utility of the helicopter is encouraging, claim traffic officers. On Tuesday, Mr. Chander himself boarded the helicopter to take stock of the traffic situation in the city.

“The response time is much quicker while using a helicopter. On all the three occasions we have used the helicopter, we were able to clear the jams much quicker than we did by ground-to-ground communication,” said the senior officer.

The helicopter has been hired from Pawan Hans for Rs. 4 lakh each day.

Officials seated in the helicopter keep a watch on the traffic below and relay the situation to their colleagues in the field through a wireless system.

The information is further passed on to the public through the department’s various channels.