Vashram Kanabhai, a head constable in Surat traffic police, collapsed on duty. The 44-year-old cop's lungs were diagnosed as having been damaged.

Kanabhai's case is not an isolated one. Many of his colleagues have to bear the brunt of this occupational hazard. To tackle the vehicular pollution menace, the Surat police are planning to set up oxygen parlours. So when the going gets tough, traffic police personnel can take a break and inhale oxygen in one of these cubicles. The parlours would be opened at busy crossings in the city. They will be equipped with oxygen cylinders to enable the constables to cleanse their lungs.