Traffic cops crack the whip, seize 15 licences

“The police started implementing the norms on Saturday night. The DLs of six people in Mico Layout, five in Madivala, three in Shivajinagar and one in Upparpet have been seized. These people are habitual offenders and were found to have violated the traffic rules more than three thrice. The police submitted their DLs to the court requesting for suspension either for three months or six months,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic & Security) Dr M A Saleem told Deccan Herald.

The police are targeting those causing accidents due to negligence, indulging in drunk-driving, rash driving, over-speeding, driving on footpath, doing wheelie, drag racing and using cellphones while driving.

Habitual offenders

“We have considered the drunk-driving cases seriously. If a driver is found guilty of drunk-driving for the second time, then the police will recommend cancellation of his or her DL permanently, Saleem added.

The biggest problem for the traffic cops is not vehicular population but habitual offenders.
“There are nearly 38 lakh vehicles in the City and the police have already registered more than 36 lakh cases of traffic violations till October.

This alarming number indicates the need to change road users’ behaviour. Hence, we decided to implement certain rules strictly which were not implemented previously,” he said.

The traffic police have generated nearly Rs 40 crore revenue by way of imposition of penalty till October this year. The police don’t aim to increase the fine amount, but to ensure improvement in road users’ behaviour and road safety, said another officer.

Another traffic division

In order to ensure less traffic violations and accidents, the traffic police have finalised a proposal, including a request for another traffic division (Northeast), sanctioning of one DCP post, two ACPs - one for the Traffic Management Centre and another for the Vijayanagar sub-division, and setting up of six traffic police stations on the outskirts of Kengeri, K G Halli, Hulimavu, Jalahalli, Bagalgunte and J P Nagar.

Current staff inadequate

These initiatives require an additional 450 policemen of various ranks and creation of additional infrastructure. The proposal is likely to be submitted shortly.

A major cause for violations and accidents is inadequate traffic police strength. The sanctioned strength for the City is 3,219, but the current strength is 2,900 (about 319 posts are vacant).

One policeman is assigned for monitoring every 1,000 vehicles, but currently, one cop is managing 2,600 vehicles. More than 4,000 policemen of various ranks are required for a city like Bangalore where more than 38 lakh vehicles ply each day.

The police have failed to ensure effective policing due to inadequate staff strength, increasing vehicular population and addition of new areas, admitted another senior officer.

Three new traffic police stations were set up in 2009 at Electronic City, Whitefield and Devanahalli, besides a new post of ACP for the Northeast Division. The police claim that the random campaign against drunk-driving has shown better results during the past two months as the number of accidents and accident-related deaths have come down.|

September last year recorded 70 accident-related deaths, while the number for this September is 62.

The number of deaths in October last year was 80 and it is just 68 this year.