Thanks to the Traffic Police in Bangalore

I had been shopping last weekend. As always happens with us women, when we go out for shopping, we lost track of time. It was late, yet not so much that the auto driver legally demand more fare. (Auto drivers her have this bad habit of demanding more than the meter price.) So we decided we’d take a prepaid auto. These prepaid autos are instructed to charge no more than the meter reading. This is not acceptable to most auto-drivers as it cuts into their extra income. So many of them try and avoid the route where traffic policemen stop autos from taking passengers by themselves. (I still wonder why people are so keen on paying one and half times the fare than wait in the pre-paid queue for 10 odd minutes.)

Not digressing, finally it was our turn to get the auto assigned and as usually the empty autos would escape from some distance. One such driver tried acting smart. He took some passengers from the end of the queue. Unfortunately for him (also his acting failing miserably) the traffic police waiting beside us saw him in the act and was upset. (especially coz there were bunches of gals waiting for autos. They actually care for our safety, I realized for the first time.) As the auto came closer the policeman caught him and his colleague immediately understanding the situation went pulled the key off the key hole and handed it out to the first man. Then they started rebuking the driver. That seemed to be a good lesson coz another driver who was looking for passengers from the end of the queue caught the hint and came to the actually spot where he could pick us up.

My friends and I were very impressed by the act of the policemen. I do not have a very good opinion about them coz once when I’d accompanied my friend to one of the police stations regarding address verification for passport, the chap shamelessly asked me for a bribe. (And I, equally shamelessly, pretended not to hear him, smiled and turned away to get out of that place)

That was one kind gesture from them. Though it is their duty, not many are sincere. At least I know very few people who sincerely do their job, especially in the Govt. sector. And these were not of the kind who evade. Hats off to them.