New Delhi: With summer in full swing, Delhi traffic police are piloting AC helmets, portable hand fans and mobile water vans to protect personnel deployed outdoors—and are planning sessions with a dermatologist to address the health toll of working long hours under direct sunlight amid heavy vehicular pollution.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Vijayanta Arya told ThePrint that the session with a dermatologist is expected to be held within the next 10 to 15 days.
“We are organising a session with a senior dermatologist to give advice to the traffic police on precautions to take when they are in the sun and preventions against the dust and pollution,” Arya said.
Separately, an air-conditioned helmet, called the ActivCooling Helmet assembled by Jarsh Safety, is under trial. It has a battery life of around five to six hours, charges via a circular-type charger, and comes with four cooling modes—starting from 25 percent, and going up to 100 percent—along with separate low and high airflow settings that allow personnel to regulate airflow inside the helmet.
“The AC helmet and fan are part of a pilot programme, and are being used on a trial basis to see if the desired purpose is served,” Arya said.
ThePrint saw the device in use at Ashoka Police Lines, where a head constable said each traffic circle in New Delhi has been given one helmet for testing purposes. Officials said the devices will only be rolled out at scale once evaluation is complete.
“We are giving the helmets to various people to get a better understanding of whether it is useful or not,” a senior police officer said.
The decision on expansion will be driven by staff feedback—but the officer indicated the department wants to observe the helmets’ performance over a longer period before drawing conclusions.
“If the staff says it is providing them relief and improving their working conditions, then we will order more,” the officer said, adding: “Give it a few days. What may seem good on Day 1 may not be useful in the long run.”
Mobile canteen vans have also been deployed to support personnel during extended outdoor duties. “We have started mobile canteen vans that provide cold water on the spot,” Arya said. “It is being used in areas where the duty hours are long, like in areas of New Delhi, or when there is any particular traffic arrangement.”
Mrinalini Manda is an alum of ThePrint School of Journalism, currently interning with ThePrint.
This is an updated version of the report.
(Edited by Prerna Madan)
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