Visakhapatnam: In case you have received more than six e-challans for violating traffic rules and have not bothered to pay the fine, then beware. The next time the city traffic police spot your vehicle on the road, it will be seized.
In a bid to ensure compliance, the traffic cops of the city have formed special teams who have been deputed across the city’s streets to check vehicles and verify if there are any pending e-challans against them. The cops are armed with apps on their smartphones and will seize the vehicle in case there are more than six pending challans issued against it.
Speaking to TOI, M Ramesh Kumar (ADCP traffic) said that fines have been collected for only 30 per cent of the total number of e-challans issued. “Since many traffic violators are delaying payment of fines, we have formed special teams to collect the dues. The city police are yet to receive fines against more than six lakh challans.”
Over 3 lakh e-challans have been issued over the last year. These challans have been issued by identifying rule violators by taking their pictures on phones and using closed-circuit cameras. Once someone is caught violating a traffic rule, the owner of the vehicle receives an e-challanon their phone through an app linked to the road transport authority (RTA) server.
According to ACP (traffic) MRK Raju, many motorists have not provided their phone numbers to the RTA, or have not updated them. Consequently, they do not receive alerts for the e-challans issued against them.
“We appeal to motorists to know about the e-challans pending against them by looking up their vehicle numbers in the e-challan mobile apps and other websites and clear their dues,” added Raju.
City police commissioner RK Meena said that despite the presence of traffic police at junctions, motorists— especially youngsters are violating traffic rules by jumping signals, riding without helmets or riding without documents. “Our teams are going to nab all those violators who have failed to pay the dues by intercepting vehicles and entering their vehicle numbers in the app,” Meena added.
Police sources said that special teams set up for the job has managed to collect pending fines from over 2,000 motorists per day since the drive began around a week ago.
Source: TOI
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