Pictures and details of traffic rule violators will no longer be uploaded on the Facebook page of Delhi Traffic Police (DTP) by the page administrator, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg has said after a High Court judge noted that such a practice amounted to breach of privacy of the individuals involved.
Last Wednesday, the High Court judge had observed in an unrelated case that posting details of people being prosecuted by traffic police on a public forum such as Facebook was not appreciated. “Honourable High Court has observed that violators' detail need not be posted on Facebook. We respect the view of the Honourable High Court and we will follow the observations in letter and spirit,” Mr. Garg posted on the DTP Facebook page on Saturday.
No pictures
Several cases of people in authority violating traffic laws have been published on the social networking site in the past. “We will continue to hand out challans to people…but will not upload violators' pictures,” said Mr. Garg.
He further noted in his Facebook post: “Let people continue to upload traffic-related issues on Facebook page and we will effect improvement in traffic scene. Violations which are uploaded on this page will be dealt with as per law of the land though their details will not be uploaded on this page.”
The announcement evoked a mixed response from people subscribed to the DTP Facebook page. While several of them supported the High Court observation, many people pointed out that uploading pictures on Facebook was an effective deterrent against traffic violations.
Festival rush
With Diwali approaching, the festive rush was seen at several places over the weekend. Traffic snarls and slow moving traffic were reported at all major market places.
While no major problems were reported, Mr. Garg said it was advisable to be prepared for traffic-related delays on Monday. “Keeping in mind the beginning of the work week and the approaching festival, roads are likely to have extra traffic, particularly in the evening,” said Mr. Garg.
Roads leading to marketplaces and shopping malls like Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Karol Bagh, Kalkaji, South Extension, Paharganj, Chandni Chowk, Vikas Marg, Shalimar Bagh, Rajouri Garden, Ashok Vihar, Press Enclave Road and Sadar Bazar are likely to see a high volume of traffic.
“The focus during festive rush is regulation and facilitation of traffic,” said Mr. Garg. Taffic personnel have been deployed at all major intersections to ensure smooth movement, he added.
