NHAI issues SOPs to curb incidents of altercation at toll plazas
New Delhi (PTI): National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Monday said it has issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to safeguard commuters and toll operators, reduce incidents of altercations and strengthen security at toll plazas.
According to an official statement, the detailed SOPs include guidelines for NHAI field offices to ensure strict implementation and adherence by toll-collecting agencies to manage staff and road users.
According to the SOPs, NHAI field offices will ensure that the toll collecting agency performs their duties following guidelines.
The toll collecting agency will ensure that staff at toll plazas wear the prescribed NHAI uniform with a name badge, the statement said, adding that any anticipated incident of violence should only be handled by toll plaza manager/lane supervisors, who will wear body cameras to record such instances.
In case of unruly behaviour by a commuter, the lane supervisor shall intervene and try to resolve the issue amicably, the statement said.
"Under no circumstances, toll plaza staff shall use provocative language or resort to violence. Toll Plaza officials may take help from local police and lodge an FIR in case the issue persists or escalates," it said.
According to the statement, the staff can record videos of such incidents to police.
The statement said any incidence involving an act of violence by a road user or damage to public property at the toll plaza should immediately be reported by the toll collecting agency to police and the NHAI Project Implementation Unit with all necessary documents/proof.
NHAI field offices shall ensure that the toll collecting agency has completed police verification of each and every staff deployed at the toll plaza, the statement said.
In addition, toll collecting agencies have been asked to direct toll plaza staff to be courteous with road users.
Toll collection agencies have also been asked to give monthly statement of incidents/FIRs to the NHAI Project Implementation Unit concerned, so that in case of inaction by authorities, NHAI field officials can report the same to the District Collector and request action.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
===================
The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
