A show-cause notice was issued when complaints surfaced that a senior traffic police official was blocking a section of a road in Kochi, Kerala, for his morning walks. Locals allege that when the cop went on his morning walk, the road next to the Queen’s Walkway was shut to motor vehicles.
According to reports, Assistant Commissioner of Police Traffic West, Vinod Pillai, walks to the Queen’s Walkway every morning. The said part of the road is blocked on Sundays from 6-7 AM to allow youngsters to cycle and practice skating. However, the officer is said to have closed the road for his morning stroll all along the week.
After the event was uncovered, authorities stated that Queen’s Walkway in Kochi is a popular path for morning walkers and joggers and that barricades are usually erected to protect them. According to residents, the route has been closed for the past three days, making routine travels challenging.
Children are being forced to board buses from the opposite side of the road, where traffic is also diverted, according to social media photos. A red traffic barrier was installed in the middle of the road, while another image showed a school bus and a parent instructing children on the opposite side.
Dog walking controversy in Delhi’s Thyagraj stadium
It’s worth noting that a similar issue recently occurred in Delhi, which drew widespread attention from people around the country. As reported earlier, athletes and coaches were compelled to complete training before 7 p.m. in order to allow Delhi’s Principal Secretary (Revenue) Sanjeev Khirwar to walk his dog at the Thyagraj Stadium in the evening. As a result of the disruption to their training, numerous athletes were forced to relocate to the Sports Authority of India’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where floodlights remain on after 7.30 PM.
Following significant condemnation, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) transferred the official and his wife. The Amit Shah-led MHA reassigned IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar from Delhi to Ladakh on Thursday (May 26), while his wife Rinku Dugga was transferred from Delhi to Arunachal Pradesh.