Thane traffic police will address citizens as ‘sir’, ‘madam’

After April 15, don’t be surprised if the traffic cops you encounter daily address you as ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’, and talk politely even if you flout traffic rules. The politeness will be mandatory, courtesy a circular issued by Commissioner of Police (Thane) D Sivanandhan.

“We see people getting into scuffles with traffic cops. Rudeness is the reason why people hate to encounter police and traffic cops. Hence I have issued a circular and instructed cops to address people as ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’,” said Sivanandhan.

“A person is usually aware about the traffic rules he or she has flouted. But if this is put across to them politely, the person will think twice before repeating it in the future,” he observed. The Thane commissionerate, covering a total of 571.27 sq km, comprises four municipal corporations (Thane, Bhivandi, Ulhasnagar and Kalyan-Dombivali) and two municipal councils (Ambernath and Badlapur) as well as a number of small villages.

“Over 25,000 cases are registered per month under various heads including violation of parking rules. Almost Rs 20 lakh is recovered as fine from these cases per month,” informed deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Dnyaneshwar Chavan.