With the power cut duration stretching for nearly eight hours in the last couple of days, the City Police have asked the sponsors of all traffic signals in the city to power them with solar energy. Conversion of these signals to solar powered ones is expected to happen by the first week of March.
According to police sources, the power cuts occurred more during the day especially when there was traffic on the roads.
Of late, the policemen on duty at these signals were forced to regulate traffic manually using hand signals.
Of the 46 traffic signals in the city, except two, the rest were dependent on conventional power.
The power cut forced a constable to regulate traffic manually for six to eight hours as well as act against all kinds of traffic rule violations.
This made it difficult for the traffic police personnel to pick up messages relayed on their wireless sets of traffic violations and act upon them, said police officers.
During night, a road without lights made it a real challenge for vehicles users to spot hand signals.
This despite the constables wearing reflective jackets and using reflective batons.
The City Police tried supplying the traffic signals with power using UPS systems but the move failed because the battery back-up lasted for only two to three hours. And the police always had to guard it from being stolen at night.
Courtesy: THE HINDU
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