Over 18 thousand cases of traffic violation booked in Mangaluru city in April
Data reveals over Rs. 23 lakh fines collected in 30 days
Mangaluru: Ever since Sandeep Patil took charge as the Commissioner of Mangaluru Police in late February this year, several changes were made in the traffic arrangements and regulations with the department looking for ways to improve the traffic management in the city.
In last two months several measures were undertaken, towing vehicles have been introduced for the first time in the city, vehicles checking at different points of the city has been beefed up and special instructions have been issued against several violations of traffic laws to curb the traffic menace.
Speaking to Vartha Bharati one month after taking the charge Patil had made it clear that it was “a very top-priority” for him to resolve the traffic grievances and had indicated that several measures would be taken in this regard in months to come.
According to the data provided by the Office of Deputy Commissioner (Traffic and Crime) to Vartha Bharati, over 18,000 cases of traffic violations have been booked and fine of over 23 lakh rupees have been collected in the month of April.
The data revealed that a total of 18,382 cases of traffic violation were booked in the month of April and fine collection in the month amounted to Rs. 23,20,150/-.
Nearly two thousand cases each were reported of violation of parking rules and driving two wheelers without helmet and fines worth nearly two lakhs were collected under each of the two categories. About one lakh thirty five thousand rupees were collected from the violators of speed limits of which 447 cases were reported.
The department has also initiated a crackdown on the drunken driving in the city over the last few months and in April 604 cases of drunken driving were booked.
Among other major violations reported in the month 2047 cases were reported when the pillion rider on the two wheeler were found not wearing helmet and 1174 cases were booked against violation of seat belt regulations. Over seven thousand cases were booked under “other traffic violation” categories reportedly resulting in 10,96,250 Rupees’ fines collection.
532 cases were also booked for vehicles stopping on Zebra crossing during red signal, causing inconvenience to the pedestrians. A warning was also issued by the department earlier urging motorist to keep the Zebra crossing clear for pedestrians on signals.
The crackdown on traffic violation to smoothen the traffic movement by the department has seen mixed reaction among the general public, a section of which is irked with the towing away of vehicles even if the vehicles are parked at a point for a few seconds. The section of the people believes the department is being harsh with towing away of vehicles, releasing which takes due process and time. On the other hand the section has appreciated the reforms and measures being introduced to ease traffic movement in the city and has lauded the efforts of the department.
The department however, looks resolved to sticking to their plans of curbing the traffic menace and grievances and to ease it for drivers and riders abiding by the traffic rules and regulation.
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Misuse of power, money to control election mechanism seen during Maharashtra polls: Sharad Pawar
Pune (PTI): NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday claimed the misuse of power and money to control the entire election mechanism, which was never before seen in any state assembly or national polls, was witnessed in Maharashtra.
Pawar made the statement when he visited senior activist Dr Baba Adhav, who is protesting against the alleged "misuse of EVMs" in the recent state polls in Maharashtra.
Adhav, who is in his 90s, began his three-day protest at Phule Wada, the residence of social reformer Jyotiba Phule, in the city on Thursday.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies, the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), have been alleging manipulation of EVMs in the recently held Maharashtra Assembly elections, which saw a landslide victory by the Mahayuti.
The Mahayuti, comprising the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP, won 230 out of 288 assembly seats in the November 20 polls, while the MVA managed just 46 seats.Talking to reporters, Pawar said elections were conducted recently in the country, and there is a restlessness among the people about these.
Baba Adhav's agitation represents this restlessness, he said.
He said, "There is a murmur among the people that the recent polls in Maharashtra saw 'misuse of power' and 'floods of money', which was never seen in the past. Such things are heard of in local-level polls, but taking over the entire election mechanism with the help of money and misuse of power was not seen before. However, we witnessed it in Maharashtra, and people are restless now."
He added that people were recalling late socialist ideologue Jaiprakash Narayan and felt somebody should take a step forward.
"I heard Baba Adhav has taken a lead into this issue and is agitating at Phule Wada. His protest gives hope to the people, but it is not enough. A mass revolt is necessary, as the danger of the parliamentary democracy getting destroyed looms," Pawar said.
The former Union minister said those who have reins of the country in their hands are least bothered about this.
"Despite widespread discussion over it (alleged misuse of EVMs) in the country, whenever the opposition tries to raise the issue in the Parliament, they are not allowed to speak. Opposition leaders have been seeking an opportunity to speak on these issues for six days, but their demands have not been accepted even once. It shows they want to attack parliamentary democracy," he claimed.
He said Dr Adhav's protest is a fine example of someone revolting against the issue and expressed confidence that his protest will create a ripple effect.
