JOIN USVehicle owners still sporting tinted glass windows may have believed they could get through another day without a fine.
But springing a surprise, the Transport Department swung into action and booked at least 200 four-wheeler owners for not removing sun films as mandated by the Supreme Court.
Although the traffic police had announced their drive against tinted car glasses would begin on Wednesday, moves by the Regional Transport Office (RTO) to catch violators on Tuesday seem to betray a lack of coordination between the two departments.
Many vehicles with tinted glass continued to move around the City with the deadline (Tuesday night) for compliance just hours away.
Transport Commissioner Shyam Bhat T told Deccan Herald that 10 squads of RTO officers were stopping and fining violators. According to Bhat, squads are also on patrol to catch violators within the jurisdiction of the 10 RTO divisions in Bangalore, including five located on the outskirts.
When asked why the RTO officials had started the campaign ahead of the traffic police’s plans, Bhat said that was because the deadline for vehicles to remove screens ended on Tuesday.
Vehicles were targeted in different parts of the City without prior warning. Many drivers and vehicle owners were confused upon being stopped by transport department officials. According to reports, heated words were often exchanged between drivers and RTO officials. Several drivers even refused to pay the fine quoting the decision of the traffic police to start the drive from Wednesday.
The Deccan Herald office was flooded with phone calls from confused commuters calling to ask whether the rule was being implemented from Tuesday and whether the Transport Department officers had the authority to fine them.
Bhat said that the Motor Vehicles Act gave RTO officials full authority to implement the rule. In addition, a senior police officer told Deccan Herald that the Transport Department officers have more powers than the traffic police in implementing the rule.
Transport Department Joint Commissioner (Bangalore Urban and Rural) H G Kumar said violators were booked across Bangalore, including areas such as Yeswantpur, Indiranagar, Jayangar, Jnanabharathi, Yelahanka and Electronics City. He said some 200 violators had been penalised on Tuesday and that the drive will continue for several weeks.
RTO officials said that a first-time offender will be fined Rs 100, a second-time offender Rs 300 and a third violation would result in the confiscation of the licence in addition to a fine of Rs 300.