The upcoming G20 meets when hundreds of foreign delegates will be visiting Darjeeling district and the increase in the inflow of tourists who have started pouring into the region for holidays have made police take a number of initiatives for better traffic management and safety of passengers in the plains as well as in the hills.

The initiatives include the installation of speedometers and CCTV cameras on roads, the widening of certain stretches, a helpline and awareness drives for passengers.

“The G20 meets will be held in the first week of April and many people, including foreign delegates, will reach Siliguri and Darjeeling to attend the events. Tourists have started arriving here during the current season and we believe the inflow will go up from the middle of next month. That is why certain initiatives have been taken to smoothen traffic and ensure the safety of passengers,” said Arindam Adhikari, the deputy superintendent (traffic) of Darjeeling district police.

In the district, a major part of the Siliguri subdivision is looked after by the Siliguri Metropolitan Police, while the entire hills and the rest of the area come under the jurisdiction of Darjeeling district police.

Recently, the police had installed digital speedometers along the road that connects Siliguri with Darjeeling.

“These metres will show the speed of vehicles and alert drivers. Our men will also check the speed and anybody found violating the speed limit will face legal steps. To help the drivers during foggy weather, we have installed solar studs in fog-prone areas. These studs will guide drivers along the road,” said the police officer.

He also said a helpline (91478-89073) had been introduced at the traffic control in Darjeeling. “Anybody can call and file a complaint or seek any possible help from the police,” said Adhikari.

The police identified some road stretches which needed to be widened for the smooth travel of vehicles on the outskirts of Darjeeling town. Also, certain roads in the hills, especially in Darjeeling and Kurseong, have been marked as one-way to avoid congestion.

“The road that connects Darjeeling and Siliguri has the capacity of 6,000 vehicles or in other words, such a number of vehicles can move along the route without congestion. However, during tourist seasons, around 23,000 vehicles move along the route at any time. This leads to the problem,” said the deputy superintendent of police.

The police have also installed CCTVs in the hills to monitor traffic. Over 60 cameras have been erected in Darjeeling while the work is going on in Kurseong and Mirik.

“In case there is congestion anywhere, the same can be noticed through the cameras and immediate intervention can be made. We want to keep the hilltown and the hill route congestion-free,” Adhikari said.

Recently, the police had organised a meeting with organisations of cab drivers who were told that they couldn’t park any car for a long time on the road between Kurseongand Darjeeling.

“We have identified the spots where drivers can stop for a few minutes to drop or pick up passengers,” said an officer.