By Sanjay Pahwa, Chandigarh :Sh. P.K. Srivastava, IPS, IGP/UT launched the Chandigarh Traffic SMS Alert Service for the citizens/road users. Shri Alok Kumar DIG/Chandigarh, Shri Naunihal Singh, SSP/Chandigarh, All DSPs, All SHOs, Traffic Marshals & Mr. Ravi Sundararajan, Vice President of SMS GupShup were present on this occasion. While launching the Traffic SMS Alert Service, IGP/UT said that after the successful launching of traffic police face book page today we launched this SMS alert service for citizens with the objective of empowerment of people and two way communication between police and public. The brief of this SMS Alert Service is that a Bombay Based SMS Gupshup Company has created a group for Chandigarh Traffic Police in which road users/citizens will subscribe to the group and receive (Free of cost) traffic alerts for road blockage/jams on SMS. The traffic police personnel, sitting inside the control room, can login to the SMS Gupshup website to post relevant traffic alerts at critical times. These messages posted on the website will be delivered as SMS to the handset of the consumer.
The SMS Gupshup traffic alert service is Free. Citizens need to subscribe to the group by sending on SMS, Join CTP to 09219592195 using his mobile phone. At the time of registration the member pay for one SMS i.e. Rs. 6 paisa + tax. After subscribing the member does not bear any costs for receiving daily traffic alerts as posted by the Traffic Control Room. SMS Gupshup offsets messaging costs from sponsorship revenue.
The citizens will get timely and relevant information of traffic conditions in UT Chandigarh. They can make an informed decision on travel plan or routes on the basis of information that they would receive on traffic congestion/diversions due to accidents, water-logging, repair work, VVIP movements, road blocks, political rallies etc. The traffic police can monitor and resolve traffic situation in a better manner thus easing traffic in affected areas. Moreover this provides a great way for the traffic police to be in constant touch with a much needed service with the citizens. Citizens/road users can also send SMS about traffic jams, road accidents etc. etc. on the abovementioned number to Chandigarh Traffic Police. This service has already been launched by Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Gurgaon and Kolkata Police.