Bengaluru: The Madiwala traffic police donned the role of auto mechanics on Wednesday morning when a mini-truck, laden with steel rods, broke down on the busy Hosur Road near Madiwala causing a traffic pile-up of over 3-4 km. Two traffic constables managed to repair the truck and cleared the traffic in about 15 minutes during the morning peak hours on Wednesday.
Traffic on the busy Hosur Road came to a grinding halt when the mini-truck, coming towards the city from the Electronic City side, stopped in the middle of the road near Total Mall next to Madiwala police station. Within minutes, the traffic jam stretched up to 3-4 km, the police said.
Police Inspector R. Vasu along with constables Nataraj and Rajasab Ghanti, who were on duty, rushed to the spot and tried to push the vehicle to the side of the road to allow other vehicles to pass, but could not move the vehicle.
Natraj and Rajasab, who know a little about automobiles and engines, swung into action and checked the engine. They found that the motor fan belt of the truck had snapped, creating a vacuum that prevented the truck from moving, Mr. Vasu said.
The driver was also helpless and tried to search for the mechanic, but in vain. Since the traffic began to pile up, the three policemen swung into action. While constable Nagaraj managed to get a new belt from an automobile spare parts store nearby, Rajasab managed to borrow a 32-size spanner from a passing vehicle to remove the fan belt and put the new one. Within minutes, the trio succeeded in repairing the mini-truck and started the engine and moved it to the roadside.
The entire episode was being watched by passersby, who clapped and cheered for the cops. “We feel happy to help someone in distress and also realise that the training during our induction had come handy,” Mr Vasu said.
