On December 6, 1991, Baluja made history of sorts when he managed to persuade the Registrar to formally register the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), the first citizen's initiative pitched at working with government machinery to improve traffic conditions in the country. "It took one year just to get the society registered," rues Baluja, "because the Registrar thought improving road traffic was the government's prerogative!"
The well-to-do owner of Baluja International, more popularly known as 'Baluja Shoes', needn't have bothered. Though 85,000 people in the country die annually in road accidents and 6-8 people in Delhi die every day, Baluja wasn't inspired by personal or public tragedy. Incredibly, what did move him to take the wheel of traffic reform was simply the mad, careering experience of it. "Every time I came back from Europe, the contrast depressed me," says he.
Visits to various police and traffic departments revealed a frighteningly haphazard situation. Far from regularising or enforcing traffic rules, random experiments were being blithely conducted on public money and time: ineffective flip-pers on the road, blackening of headlights introduced, then withdrawn... "There's not even one driver training institute for heavy vehicles in north India," exclaims Baluja incredulously.
Today, seven years after Baluja started, the IRTE boasts five hi-tech enforcement vans called interceptors, sponsored by Maruti. Kitted with alcomats to test drivers' breath, laser-based speed measuring equipment and built-in studios—complete with viewing, recording and printing equipment—the interceptors are highly efficient education and enforcement units. "The idea is to film how a driver violates rules, show him the clip, educate him, then punish. Three new vans which are due will issue computerised challans that include a print-out of the section of the law which has been violated," beams Baluja with a faint trace of pride.
Employed by the Delhi transport and traffic departments, IRTE's existing five interceptors have reportedly mopped up Rs 4.8 crore in challan money in the last 17 months. One led the Delhi Police in the Republic Day Parade in '96. But the acceptance IRTE now enjoys didn't come easy.
When Baluja first started knocking on doors, most officials were aghast. How could a civilian have the temerity to offer to train the police and traffic departments? "One commissioner of police told me, if you've got too much money, donate it to the police fund," Baluja laughs. "It seems funny now, but really the investment was more in time and tension than money. Everyone tried to put me off." Scuttling well-meaning advice to start an NGO on AIDS, cancer, deprived children, victims of rape or other "fashionable and more emotive" subjects, Baluja stuck to his guns. In '93, the Madras traffic police became the first to ask IRTE to train its personnel. Meghalaya, Delhi, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh soon followed suit. "We use whatever resources the IRTE offers. They're helping us a lot," affirms Mukund Upadhaye, DCP, Traffic Police, Delhi.
Apart from training bus drivers, personnel trainers, motor licensing officials and training schools, IRTE has also started a Student Traffic Volunteers Sponsorhip Scheme, funded by Shell which pays 40 IRTE-trained Delhi University students a stipend of Rs 1,000 a month to assist traffic police at peak hours. Finally, in what is its most ambitious plan yet, IRTE has tied up with Austria's Hubert Abner Academy to develop educational film capsules on traffic law, road markings, familiarity with vehicles, situation-based training, defensive driving given bad roads, animals on roads, indisciplined traffic.
Well intentioned it is, but how effective has the IRTE been? As Kiran Bedi says: "Anybody even thinking of making such an effort needs to be encouraged." The IRTE may not have made autobahns of our roads yet, but it's only seven years old. Besides, Rohit Baluja is a driven man. And if you want to assist him in that drive, just call 91-11-6816868, 6813505; Fax: 91-11-6817965.