India

AAP Government Now Talks of Controlling Traffic Police

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New Delhi:  In a move that can reignite the debate over who should control Delhi Police, the four-day-old AAP government has said it would try to bring Traffic Police under its ambit to improve the traffic situation in the national capital.

“We will make efforts to bring Traffic Police under the Delhi government’s ambit,” news agency Press Trust of India quoted Transport Minister Gopal Rai as saying. “I have called a meeting of senior Traffic Police officials on Friday, in which we will discuss ways of managing the traffic problem,” he added.

Finding a solution to Delhi’s traffic woes was among the government’s priorities, media reported, quoting Mr Rai. The move will help manage the city’s traffic better. The minister also said it will also study good traffic systems and replicate these in Delhi so people don’t have to face problems due to poor traffic management.

The Delhi Police is controlled by the Union Home Ministry and political parties that have governed Delhi have always considered it a big drawback.

Despite the presence of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, the erstwhile Sheila Dikshit government’s consistent efforts to control the Delhi Police had remained fruitless.

AAP, which roundly beat the BJP in the assembly elections, winning 67 of 70 seats, have wasted no time in raising demands that could lead to controversy.

A day after he took oath as Chief Minister, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had raised Delhi’s statehood issue in meetings with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh  and Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu.

Throughout its election campaign, AAP had criticised the BJP for dropping the full statehood demand in its vision statement. In earlier elections, the BJP had consistently called for full statehood.

Last year, Arvind Kejriwal’s 49-day minority government had clashed with the Centre over Delhi Police.

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