KOLKATA: The city has been witness to 27 accidents in the past two weeks — around half of them involved bikes and at least 10 of them have been fatal. Officers at Lalbazar are worried and a game plan to counter the sudden spurt in accidents is likely to be worked out in the first week of July. The 25 traffic guards have identified several reasons — ranging from local to generic — and are hoping the headquarters will accept some of their proposals.“The sustained campaign against errant bikers gradually fizzled out after Kolkata spent one of the safest winters in recent memory. For the past three months, the most effective process — that of impounding the bike for a few hours to a few days for traffic offences, including not wearing a helmet and triple riding — has virtually stopped as the top brass received reports that space to stock them was running out. We lost our most effective weapon in our Safe Drive Save Life campaign,” said an officer. Lalbazar officers said there is a high probability that the “unpopular but effective” measure will again pick up pace in July.Cops said regular checks at petrol pumps to implement the ‘no helmet, no petrol’ rule has been hit too. “There are certain pumps that are willingly following it. Since they have made this a norm, there is no local pressure to withdraw it. But some petrol pumps in the added areas are violating this principle. While they implement the rule when we are on rounds, we can’t check enough CCTV footages to find out it it is implemented round the clock,” claimed a traffic OC.Cops also blamed three other factors — the ongoing World Cup that is providing an adrenaline rush for youngsters, the rain-soaked slippery and potholed roads and the local mixed traffic flow — for the rising number of fatalities.“The night squads working in the 12 sectors notwithstanding, we will be putting more men on the road before and after the World Cup matches. Often when their favourite teams win, the youngsters go out on rides and end up in accidents,” said an official at Lalbazar.“Our response will be based on empirical findings and ground situations. The last thing we want is one single prescription since conditions differ from place to place,” explained an IPS officer.

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