With a hand up in the air, a motley juggernaut of cars, bikes, autos, cycles and handcarts on the busy Chirag Dilli crossing comes to a halt. Heads turn expectantly towards the hand for the go signal. In minutes, another wave of hand, and the traffic is snaking furiously ahead. In a city aspiring to new standards of traffic infrastructure, the traffic marshal has become commander of Delhis hectic and exasperating road activity. Equipped with just a humble whistle, and if lucky, a hand-held loudspeaker, the marshal is ubiquitous, though not quite king. Times City surveys this new class of rule enforcers, their lives and whether they suit the needs of Delhis urban traffic. Time was when state-trained Delhi Traffic Police was the citys common interface with enforcement of traffic rules. With power to challan and prosecute, the traffic cop in white and blue uniform has always been dreaded. Corrupt they might be, but few can be doubted on their knowledge of traffic rules. But the marshal, todays new traffic cop, is a different beast. Hired by a range of different agencies like Trig, ARC, STS and Scorpion, these marshals lack training, camaraderie and affiliation of a unified command agency that state traffic police affords. As contract workers put on ad hoc jobs, the marshals vary in their personal and skill profile.