Impatient motorists added to the trouble on Tuesday

The traffic policemen couldn't have asked for a situation worse than the one they faced during Tuesday evening's heavy downpour.
Waterlogged roads, bumper-to-bumper traffic, vehicle jams at strategically vital junctions, out of order signal lights and above all, impatient commuters ignoring the directives from the cops in an attempt to seek a way out of the chaos.
The city, spread over a 244 sq km-area , has around 1,400 major traffic junctions. But there are only around 700 traffic officials and personnel and 500-odd traffic wardens to control vehicular movement. It takes no rocket science to gauge the situation they face while handling large volumes of vehicles in times like Tuesday evening's downpour.
In fact, several traffic cops were themselves stranded at different locations while on their way back to home. Instead, they had to get into the manning activity to clear the immediate chaos they found themselves in.
Deputy commissioner of police (Traffic) Manoj Patil was busy doing rounds of the city till late night. "The sudden downpour had many of my men stranded and our immediate concern was to streamline the vehicle movement at main junctions. The traffic woes had reduced by 10.30 pm but, there were problems with water-logging at certain places,'' Patil said.
While commuters were complaining about the jams, several policemen were found manning the junctions fully drenched. "Several of them were not carrying their raincoats as there was no rain before 4 pm,'' said inspector Surendranath Deshmukh .
According to Deshmukh, the citizens showed little patience in helping the cops regulate the movement through the waterlogged roads. "Everybody wanted to make a move," he said and, to top it all, people were complaining to our control room asking how the traffic jam took place, he added.
"We agree it was evening and people wanted to reach home. However, their eagerness caught us unawares as they would overtake stranded vehicles to block the opposite lane, resulting in complete blockage ,'' Deshmukh said.
"I was clearing traffic on one lane on one road. In the meantime, several two-wheeler riders from opposite lane came and blocked it by overtaking. How will the traffic on the opposite lane progress? Motorists should not have at least cut the lanes and entered the opposite lanes,'' Deshmukh added.
There was knee-deep water at several spots like the area near the CID office. "No one was willing to cross that stretch. One of them tried to cross and his vehicle broke down. After this, no one dared to cross the water-logged stretch and we had to literally plead with the people to move ahead,'' said DCP Patil.
What the cops faced
n Impatient commuters
n Waterlogged roads
n Bumper-to-bumper traffic
n Vehicle jams at vital junctions
n Out of order signal lights
THE CITY TRAFFIC SCENE
Area:
244 sq km
Major traffic junctions:
1,400
Traffic cops:
700
Traffic wardens:
500