Agartala, 28 October: To mitigate traffic congestion on the busiest roads in Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) areas, it is essential for the traffic police, transport department, and municipal corporation to work collaboratively, said Chief Minister Professor (Dr.) Manik Saha during a traffic management review meeting held today in the Secretariat’s conference room. He emphasized the need for regular monitoring in no-parking zones and strict enforcement of traffic laws when necessary.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister highlighted that advanced technology is being integrated into the traffic system to ensure the safe movement of citizens on the roads. The state government has adopted a multi-faceted approach to enhance road safety. To further ease congestion in Agartala, he directed the Superintendent of Traffic Police to identify locations for new parking zones and initiate work promptly.
The Chief Minister also noted the need to relocate street vendors operating on busy roads to designated areas assigned by the AMC and called for continuous surveillance in these areas. He stressed that joint efforts by the traffic unit, AMC, and the transport department are essential to manage the movement of battery-operated rickshaws on congested roads. He also urged for regular inspection of parking plans in newly constructed multi-storied buildings to ensure compliance.
Additionally, CM Saha raised concerns about vehicles over 15 years old and directed officials to monitor the scrapping process. He suggested implementing control measures on vehicle sales to curb the rising number of vehicles in the city. For effective traffic regulation on flyovers, he instructed traffic police to be more vigilant. The CM directed PWD Secretary Kiran Gitte to expedite the road widening projects in the city.
Traffic Superintendent Manik Das informed that the state’s traffic unit was established in 1991 and is actively conducting road safety awareness campaigns and other initiatives to reduce accidents. As a result, the rate of road accidents and fatalities in the state remains significantly lower than the national average. Currently, the AMC area has 45 parking zones, 23 no-parking zones, seven one-way streets, 29 electric traffic signals, and 59 traffic points, with key roads under CCTV surveillance for enhanced monitoring.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha, Director General of Police Amitabh Ranjan, CM’s Secretary Dr. Pradip Kumar Chakraborty, PWD Secretary Kiran Gitte, IG (Law and Order) Anurag Dhankhar, Transport Department Secretary C.K. Jamatia, West Tripura District Magistrate Dr. Vishal Kumar, and other senior officials from the Police and Transport departments.
