The motorists and passersby outside Nala Sopara East police station in Mumbai always look a 68-year-old man in a white kurta blowing a whistle and managing traffic. He is a retired army man Ramdayal Yadav, voluntarily regulates traffic near the crowded Nala Sopara area every day.

He served in the Indian army as a cook from 1962 to 1982. He is not an appointed traffic police personnel but he stands dedicatedly outside the Tulinj police station for over four hours every day. Why he does this every day? What’s the reason?

In 1982, Ramdayal decided to take voluntary retirement after his son was killed in an accident at Bhayander, Mumbai. He has three daughters, of whom one is widowed, who is the one he lives with. He is staying at Nala Sopara from 2013 until then he lived in Kandivli, where he first began to regulate traffic after seeking permission from the police.

The traffic noise right outside his home in Kandivali had become too much for the man to bear and so he sought permission from the police to volunteer to manage traffic in the area.

“Owing to heavy traffic, people used to honk a lot near my house. When I found out that only one traffic constable had been stationed in the area, I decided to do something about it. After shifting, he sought approval from the Tulinj police station to continue the practice. This daily routine keeps me physically and mentally fit,” said Yadav.

Yadav only alerts the traffic officials when he notices anyone breaking the traffic rule as he is not authorized to fine motorists. The senior citizen believes the traffic duty keeps him physically and mentally fit.

“He has made our job easier, given that it is difficult to manage traffic in this area. Yadav stands near the police station for four hours every day. Thanks to him, motorists are beginning to obey traffic rules,” senior police inspector at Tulinj police station, Kerubhau Kolhe said lauding Yadav’s dedication.

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