MARGAO
Unauthorised bus halts at the Old Market traffic circle have become more a norm than an exception, irrespective of whether the junction is manned by the RTO, traffic police or an AI-powered traffic surveillance system.
Questions are now being raised by motorists, including two-wheeler riders, as to why the Transport Department has been hesitant to bring unauthorised bus halts under the ambit of AI-powered enforcement. For reasons unknown, the RTO and traffic police have miserably failed to curb the practice at the Old Market circle, near the Aquem Church junction and at the starting point of the Margao flyover, despite such halts frequently causing traffic snarls on the main roads.
Take, for instance, the Old Market circle. Despite an AI-powered camera being installed at the junction, buses proceeding towards the city continue to halt right under the nose of the surveillance system.
Two-wheeler riders, in particular, have questioned whether buses have been exempted from the AI-powered enforcement system and, if so, why such an exemption exists when unauthorised bus halts also constitute an offence under the Motor Vehicles Act.
The commuters are now seeking to know whether the authorities will use the technology at their disposal to enforce the rules uniformly, or continue to turn a blind eye to unauthorised bus halts across the city.
