On th eway

Meet the CEO Managing Bluru’s Growing Traffic


Bengaluru traffic is probably one of the worst in the world – managing it is indeed a daunting task for the traffic police.

However, the traffic police is getting help from the traffic wardens – civic volunteers who take out time from their busy schedules to bring discipline on the road.

People from all types of educational and professional backgrounds are serving as traffic wardens in Bengaluru as part of the ‘Bengaluru City Police Traffic Warden Organisation’. A voluntary organization with many challenges, it was started in 1985 to assist the traffic police of the city. It had only a few members at that time, but currently has 830 wardens.

Some of the traffic wardens are CEOs and top entrepreneurs who are often seen on the busy streets of this city. Wardens make a difference by offering solutions before minor problems get worse or cause a jam. Abhijeeto Makhijaani Owns two businesses, and has been running a tech company in Delhi for the past eight years. Now, he manages the traffic on the streets of Bengaluru during peak hours.

“Working a few hours a day makes us forget our professional life. If this service can bring some change in the lives of the people and make the transport easier, then it is a boon. One might reach home early and think ‘oh, traffic was smooth today’. They may not know that it is because of the warden. It can light up someone’s evening and bring a smile to their face or can save some time or even someone’s life. That’s what excites me to get on the road,” says Makhijani.

Makhijani joined the police traffic warden organization of Bengaluru city in December 2020. He advises the public to be patient on the road and have respect for other road users. He wants citizens to understand that not everyone has an equally fast vehicle with all those features, but respect on the road is very important. He says that the main purpose of roads is to get from one place to another and not to compete.

“Citizens of this country violate all the rules but the same people go to other countries and follow every rule because of heavy fines,” says Makhijani. Jayant is a senior traffic warden, part of the administrative department. He is an IT professional and consultant but the traffic warden restricts his work after joining the organization. He used to handle several business units in MNCs as well as clients around the world, but has now taken voluntary retirement to serve as a traffic warden. He worked as an IT professional for 28 years before joining the Traffic Warden organization in 2016.

“I come from a different background but NCC College has helped me cope and work efficiently here. Disciplining and teaching others about rules is nothing new to me. But we face challenges. People have their own way of reacting when we investigate them and try to make them aware. We hope to bring change and progress,” says Jayant, adding that the government should provide driving education from high school itself. He says that people should learn and change their attitude when it comes to road safety.

NS Suresh Kumar There is a chief traffic warden. That’s from advertising. He has 25 years of experience in the media industry. He is also a farmer during the weekend. In addition, she is a partner in a construction company that produces artificial sand. “When I lived in KR Puram, I used to witness countless accidents and how the audience never cared or helped the victims. It made me realize the importance of social service and humanity in general. So, I came forward to help change what I could and save lives,” says Kumar. Manish Rungta Runs a Public Limited Company and is the CEO of a Corporation.

He is the Deputy Chief Traffic Warden, and has been in service for 19 years. He mentioned the challenges faced by the traffic warden now as compared to the past. “The traffic density has increased, so has the pollution and dust. Not to mention the negative and unruly behavior of road users. If we point out their mistakes people get easily angry and rude to us because we are not real police personnel. We sometimes get demotivated because of all this but we think about the life that matters and ignore the vulgarity of some,” says Rungta.

Vinod Hyagriv Owns a jewelery store which is almost 150 years old. He works as a warden in the management department and has encouraged his employees to join the traffic warden services. Many of his workers influenced by him are now working in the traffic warden organization.