Nagpur: In a bid to address the growing traffic congestion caused by unregulated private luxury bus operations in the city, Nagpur Police Commissioner Dr. Ravinder Kumar Singal convened a high-level coordination meeting on Monday, May 19, evening at the Police Headquarters, Civil Lines.

The meeting, initiated under the guidance of Dr. Singal, aimed at finding comprehensive and actionable solutions to the transportation issues arising from private bus movements in the core city areas. The session saw the participation of officials from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT), Revenue Department, Regional Transport Office (RTO), Town Planning, Traffic Police Inspectors, along with citizens, journalists, travel agency owners, social activists, senior citizens, social media influencers, and former corporators.

1,606 Private Buses Entered Core City in 24 Hours:

Deputy Commissioner of Police Archit Chandak opened the session by highlighting that traffic congestion, unauthorized bus halts, accidents, and public complaints have been steadily rising due to the unregulated operations of private travel buses. He emphasized that punitive actions alone would not suffice, calling for a coordinated policy approach.

As per a recent 24-hour traffic blockade exercise conducted across six city exit points with the deployment of 100 traffic personnel, a total of 1,606 private travel buses were found entering or passing through the core city. These buses, due to their large size and turning radius, are causing frequent traffic disruptions and accidents at key city junctions like Baidyanath Square, Jadhav Chowk, Geetanjali Talkies, CA Road, Tukdoji Statue, MHADA Complex, Chatrapati Nagar, Wardha Road, Manas Square, Bhole Petrol Pump, and Yashwant Stadium.

Citizens, Activists Voice Concerns:

During the public interaction session, citizens raised several issues including:

• Rude behavior by bus drivers
• Unauthorized parking and agent encroachments
• Overloading and illegal parcel transportation
• Noise pollution from pressure horns
• Traffic violations and unauthorized bus stops

Some attendees proposed introducing shuttle services and setting up bus depots along the Outer Ring Road, which could also help reduce unemployment.

Travel Operators Seek Official Parking Spaces:

Private travel operators admitted the lack of a designated city bus terminal poses major challenges. They stated that nearly 90% of operators have their own parking arrangements and assured cooperation if the administration designates official pickup and drop-off zones.

RTO officer Vijay Chavan informed that over 8,000 private buses are registered in the city, including 325 sleeper buses, and stressed the need for structured urban planning to manage parking, pickup, and drop zones—especially as more multi-axle buses are expected in the near future.

NMC Commissioner Dr. Abhijit Chaudhary expressed willingness to provide necessary infrastructure for shuttle services and external parking zones under the municipal framework.

Police Commissioner Stresses Technology-Driven, Target-Based Approach:

In his address, Commissioner Dr. Singal revealed that road accidents in Nagpur have declined by 25% in the last six months. He emphasized the importance of traffic discipline, adoption of modern technologies like CCTV and AI-based monitoring, public awareness campaigns, and a well-coordinated urban transport strategy.

He also reminded stakeholders of the ongoing ‘No Horn’ campaign and warned of strict action against the use of pressure horns. “We must avoid sweeping problems under the carpet. Instead, we need target-oriented solutions. If necessary, a dedicated committee will be formed to implement long-term policies,” he stated.

Senior Officials in Attendance:

The session was attended by top officials including Dr. Ravinder Kumar Singal, Commissioner of Police, Nagpur, Dr. Abhijit Chaudhary, Commissioner, Nagpur Municipal Corporation, Shriram Mundada, GM, NIT, Meshram, Deputy Commissioner, NMC, Sandeep Mhaske, Sub-Divisional Officer, Vijay Chavan, RTO Nagpur Rural, Rituraj Jadhav, Assistant Director, Town Planning, Avinash Raut, Sub-Regional Transport Officer, Nagpur EasT, Bhundane , Deputy Engineer, NMC, Vinod Jadhav, Deputy Commissioner, Transport, NMC, DCP Archit Chandak, Nagpur Traffic Police, Madhuri Bawiskar, Nagpur Traffic Department

The event was organized under the leadership of DCP Chandak, who personally coordinated with local and out-of-state travel association members. The Traffic Department presented the current traffic status of Nagpur through a detailed presentation. The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Police Inspector Shubhangi Deshmukh from the Traffic Branch.