Traffic wardens in Mumbai to get monthly honorarium: Police

Traffic wardens assisting police personnel in regulating traffic on Mumbai roads will be entitled for a monthly honorarium which will be borne by corporates under their social responsibility initiative, a senior police officer said today.
"It has been decided that traffic wardens will be paid a minimum honorarium of Rs 12,000 per month on the lines of home guards. The money will be paid by corporates under their social responsibility initiative," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Milind Bharambe.
The 'traffic warden' initiative--Citizens Partnership for Traffic Management---was recently launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at an event to promote ongoing road safety week.

The traffic wardens will include home guards, trained security guards, college students and conscious citizens.
Bharambe said the concept of "dedicated traffic wardens" came into being due to inadequate number of traffic police personnel to man the traffic and lack of traffic discipline.
"For population of 1.5 crore and vehicles ranging to 1.26 lakh, 3,000 staff, which is divided into multiple shifts, is very meagre. Around 1,000-1,200 cops are there on city roads anytime. They mainly focus on arterial roads and ensure that people reach office in time," the joint commissioner said.

He said, "there is also a derailment of out value system wherein rich people have tendency to jump traffic signals, so we thought of this concept".

Bharambe said that "various stake-holders in society" were apprised about the concept of 'traffic wardens' and corporates have come forward to support it under their Social Responsibility (CSR).
Under the scheme, a security agency will recruit and train traffic wardens, and able-bodied people will be selected for regulating traffic.
"We will provide them with uniform and orientation training at our academy before deploying them," he said.
Bharambe clarified that traffic wardens will not function independently but with the help of traffic constables.
"These people will help in regulating traffic and won't have enforcement power. If a warden finds someone breaking a traffic rule, he will bring him to the constable who will book the offender accordingly," Bharambe added.