Karnataka ropes in ‘One-way’ Saleem and crisis manager Anucheth to clear Bengaluru’s traffic mess

The government’s seriousness in solving the issue is evident from the fact that it even upgraded the post of joint commissioner to special commissioner to appoint Saleem, the only IPS officer in the state with a doctorate in traffic management.

The special commissioner rank is equivalent to that of the city police commissioner, a post that is held by CH Pratap Reddy.

Catalyst for change

The Anucheth-Saleem combo is also a blend of youth and experience. The latter has been credited with reviving Bengaluru’s image from that of a traffic nightmare. Saleem, a 1993-batch Karnataka-cadre IPS officer, had created several one-ways in the city to ease the traffic in an earlier stint.

MA Saleem (Left) with Joint Commissioner (Traffic) Ravikanthe Gowda. (Supplied)

“It is a mix of experience and youth. One would agree that traffic management is a serious issue in the city. Saleem has hands-on experience in traffic management, and Anucheth, who had served as DCP West, Central and Whitefield, knows the city threadbare,” Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) Praveen Sood told South First.

The state police chief added that there would be more changes.

“The combination of youth and experience is what we are looking at. There would be many changes below them as well. We will be engaging technology into the traffic management system in a big way, and these officers will act as catalysts to improve the system,” he added.

Saleem was heading the police department’s administration wing before he was made the special commissioner.

How bad is the traffic in Bengaluru?

Speak to citizens of the city, and traffic emerges as one of the topmost concerns. Everyone has an anecdote about how long it took to get from Point A to Point B, or how long they were stuck in a jam.

MN Anucheth (Supplied)

According to a 2019 report by mobility solutions firm MoveInSyncTechnology Solutions, Bengaluru was the second slowest-moving city, with an average speed 18.7 kmph. Chennai was the fastest with 25.7 kmph, followed by Hyderabad moving at 21.2 kmph.

Incidentally, the national capital region of Delhi was faster than Bengaluru, clocking 20.6 kmph. Of the six cities compared in the ‘Time Travel Report’, only Mumbai (18.5 kmph) was behind the Karnataka capital. Pune crawled at 19.9 kmph, the report said.

The report also analysed travel times on different weekdays and found that it was the most on Mondays in all six cities. In Bengaluru, the slowest traffic was found to be at 9 am and 6 pm.

The mobility solutions provider also noted that Bengaluru experienced lighter traffic during festivals such as Ugadi, Deepavali, and Christmas. Ugadi saw a 22 percent reduction in travel time, while Deepavali and Christmas witnessed 14% faster movement. Holi had no impact, the report added.

The report also noted that Bengaluru had 149 cars per kilometre, higher than Delhi’s 108. Mumbai was the most congested with 510 cars per kilometre, followed by Pune (359), Kolkata (319) and Chennai (297).

In 2019, Bengaluru had more than 80 lakh vehicles.

Also read: Potholed Bengaluru: Police count 7,500, BBMP has only 3,500

‘One-way’ Saleem

Special Commissioner (Traffic) Saleem has already set his priorities. Transparency in traffic management is one of them.

MA Saleem (Supplied)

“The traffic police should work with integrity when it comes to regulation and enforcement,” he told South First.

Decongesting some areas, bringing technology into the traffic management system to ensure transparency, and roping in citizens, too, are his priorities to make the city roads safe for commuters.

Saleem had been involved in managing traffic for around three years earlier. He regulated the traffic on 122 prominent roads and junctions by making them one-way for ensuring an effective and smooth flow of vehicles. It earned him the sobriquet “One-way Saleem”.

Separate lanes for buses and autorickshaws, too, were part of his initiative, and he ensured that motorists followed the system.

Then an additional commissioner, he was known to visit busy junctions during peak hours and take the initiative to clear bottlenecks. He has also been credited with effectively enforcing the ban on tinted car windows.

In his previous stint, Saleem streamlined traffic management by adopting technology under the B-TRAC  (Bangalore Traffic Improvement Project). As part of the five-year project rolled out in 2010, CCTV cameras were installed and a master control room oversaw the traffic regulations and enforcement across the city.

Born on 25 June 1966 in Bengaluru, Saleem completed his MCom in 1989. In 1993, he signed up for another master’s in police management from Osmania University. He took his doctorate in traffic management from Bangalore University in 2010.

Also read: Another pothole victim: Woman dies in Bengaluru hospital

Crisis manager

Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anucheth is a 2009 batch IPS officer hailing from Kolar. An electronics engineer, he had served as an assistant superintendent of police at the Puttur sub-division and several other places throughout the state. He had also served as the deputy commissioner of police in the west, Whitefield and central divisions in Bengaluru.

Known as a “good crisis manager” in the department, he was part of the Special Investigation Team constituted to probe the September 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh.

He was recently transferred to the CID (Administration). On Monday, 14 November, he transferred again as the joint commissioner of police (traffic) to assist Saleem.