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Synopsis

The Bombay High Court has directed the Commissioner of Police of Pune to submit an affidavit detailing the present state of traffic in the city of Pune, along with proposed measures to address traffic issues through modern technology.

The division bench, consisting of Chief Justice Devendra Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor, was hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by Kishore Mansukhani in 2015. The PIL sought the implementation of modern technology by the state to effectively tackle traffic problems.

Advocate Anil Anturkar, representing Mansukhani, asserted that the state government had not undertaken any measures to address the traffic issues in Pune. He highlighted instances of road rage occurring in the city due to insufficient traffic management.

The division bench expressed its concern, noting that the PIL was filed in 2015, and with eight years having passed since its filing, the court was not aware of the current traffic situation and the measures in place to manage it.

Consequently, the high court directed the Commissioner of Police to file an affidavit explaining the assessment of the present traffic scenario and outlining measures to address it.

“Accordingly, we are of the opinion that a fresh assessment of traffic is required. We call upon the commissioner of police to conduct a review of the present traffic situation and measures to manage the same which are currently in place. The said review shall be conducted by calling requisite data/statistics from respective department, especially from traffic police,” the court ordered.

The high court further directed the commissioner to convene a meeting involving officers from every relevant department. Following thorough deliberations, the commissioner is to submit an affidavit, presenting the current status of the traffic situation and detailing measures available to address it.

The court order additionally recorded that the review conducted by the commissioner should prioritize the utilization and implementation of technological measures for effective traffic management.

The bench also observed that based on the information provided in the affidavit, the high court would form a committee comprising experts.

The committee would be tasked with studying the traffic situation in depth and exploring viable options for the introduction of modern technology to enhance traffic management.

“Based on said report and affidavit of commissioner we proposed to constitute a committee of experts to study current traffic position and measures available to manage the same/measure required to better equip the traffic department so that modern technological method and equipment’s maybe deployed to ease traffic situation in city of Pune,” the order states.

Case title: Kishore Mansukhani vs State of Maharashtra & Ors