Jaipur, Feb. 11 -- Jaipur police have launched a comprehensive drive to tackle rising traffic congestion by clearing encroachments, optimising signals, and improving parking across 10 high-impact grids, promising smoother commutes for residents amid growing snarls on key roads. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Sumit Meharda, said: "The police have identified 10 grids across the city where maximum traffic congestion has been reported in the last few weeks. Police are taking several steps to curb traffic in those areas to ensure a hassle-free travel experience for commuters." These 10 grids include Ajmer Road, Yaadgaar Circle, Bhankrota, JLN Marg, Trimurti Circle, Ramniwas Garden, MI Road, and the stretch between Rajasthan University and JDA Circle, along with Sanganeri Gate. On Sunday evening, massive traffic congestion at the MI Road area leading to Ghaatgate stranded many commuters for an hour. "Such traffic has become usual. It is mainly due to a lack of regulation on the signal optimisation. It's one way till the circle from the police commissionerate area. But many cars come from the opposite side, creating a ruckus. Once you cross the circle, the roads also become a bit narrow. Yesterday, the congestion took almost two hours to clear," said Sadiq Muhammed, owner of a restaurant on MI Road area. Meanwhile, similar congestion occurred around 1 pm at the Rajasthan University area. A commuter heading to his office in Malviya Nagar said, "I live near the Vidhan Sabha, from where my office should take a maximum of half an hour on my two-wheeler. But I leave home almost an extra 30 minutes in my hand to face this jam daily." Officials said the four major reasons behind such congestion across those areas are being analysed to devise better policies tailored to each area's needs. "Several unwarranted median cuts on major highways, unregulated parking areas on roads, lack of planning in the operation of public transport, and lack of signal optimisation are the key reasons for such hour-long traffic congestion that disrupts daily public life. We are meeting the different stakeholders to address these issues and come up with a proper solution to relieve the public of Jaipur," said Meharda. He said police have identified at least 25 signal points on those 10 grids for digital optimisation. "In those areas, traffic signals will work round-the-clock, and there will also be sufficient cameras to spot the vehicles that will break signals so that police can take further action," he added. "We have recently compiled a report card that revealed that around 45 to 50 drivers are caught every hour in Jaipur for breaking traffic rules, while the daily average for the corresponding figure is 1,090 in the last year. This is also the result of our better monitoring through advanced technology. We are sure such rapid action will alert reckless drivers and improve the overall situation." Jaipur police are also coordinating with the transport department to identify areas of maximum need for public transport and launch the government's newly procured 600 buses. Recently, police declared the stretch from Statue Circle to Ambedkar Circle (or Polo Circle) and Vidhan Sabha T-point a 'no parking zone'. "We are accommodating these vehicles to some new parking plots at the court premises or near the Rambagh areas. Discussions are underway with various cab and auto associations along with the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) in this regard," he said. Police have also requested the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to close all median cuts along the stretch from Bhankrota to 200 Feet Bypass on Ajmer Highway, while the public works department (PwD) began a drive on Monday to remove encroachments there, officials said. However, the walled city remains another concern, with congestion and frequent accidents a daily occurrence. "Our primary focus is to lay out a separate traffic management policy for the walled city area. With signal optimisation and shifting some unwarranted parking spots, we have been able to reduce the time to reach Sansar Chandra Road from Ghat-gate to 7-8 minutes from the earlier 35 minutes. However, it may further disrupt during peak tourism season," said Meharda. He said police and JDA officials are consulting local shopkeepers and e-rickshaw associations to finalise the policy. "Earlier, there were 12,000 e-rickshaws that had been operating in the walled city without any permit. We have now identified only 250 e-rickshaws that have permits, which will now only be allowed to operate in that area," he said....