Puducherry: Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi Thursday asserted that she would continue her “incognito checks of traffic management” in the Union territory and senior police officers would be held accountable for any lapses found.
Her statement comes a day after Chief Minister V Narayanasamy took exception to her “arbitrary oral” instructions to traffic police on dealing with violations of rules. In a communication to media, Bedi said, “Puducherry roads see a death by negligence daily on roads.”
Sticking to her guns, she maintained that “law enforcement is the sacred duty of law enforcers themselves and they are squarely responsible and accountable to implement the rule.” She was of the firm view that “none can direct the law enforcers to relax a rule or go soft.”
Bedi, who has been at loggerheads with the Narayanasamy-led government on various issues since last two years also said, “my incognito checks will continue and senior police officers in charge of traffic management will be held accountable as they are bound by law to perform their duty and serve.”
She minced no words in pointing out that the officers could not be held back by anyone from doing their sacred duty of enforcing the law. “Officers need to fully understand this now and forever,” she said.
Bedi, a former IPS officer, had on 18 December pulled up police personnel after she spotted numerous lapses in management of traffic during a drive she undertook in a private car ‘incognito’ in the town. Resisting Bedi’s initiatives, the Chief Minister had said the police should not act upon the oral order issued by the Lt Governor on traffic management.
He was of the view that Bedi could issue the order only through the DGP, who in turn should place it before the Chief Minister through the Chief Secretary. It is the Chief Minister who ultimately issues the order on imposition of spot fine and other measures, he had claimed.
Narayanasamy had also pointed out that the police could not detain vehicle riders to check documents and that they should give reasonable time to the vehicle owners to get the documents ready in case they did not posses driving licences or insurance certificates.