Seven interceptors, each priced Rs.25 lakh, procured by the Motor Vehicles Department to check speeding, rash and negligent driving, drunk driving and haphazard parking, were launched on Wednesday.
The Traffic Enforcement Vehicle was flagged off from the Manaveeyamveedhi near Vellayambalam here by Minister for Transport Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan in the presence of State Transport Commissioner Rishi Raj Singh and Joint Transport Commissioner Alex Paul. The Minister took a ride in one of the vehicles along with Mr. Singh.
The off-white and blue all-weather interceptor is equipped with roof-mounted surveillance camera, digital video recorder and playback equipment, breathalyser, laptop, printer, siren, and microphone. The laser gun, installed in the rear of the vehicle, can trace the number plate from 200 metre away during daytime, and 80 metre at night. It can be made operational when the vehicle is running and stationary. The GPS module will help record the exact place of checking.
The surveillance camera can be tilted 360 degrees and has video mode.
The digital video recorder has playback facility with back-up. The breathalyser in passive/screening mode can find whether the motorist is drunk. If the first test is positive, the active test, by blowing through the straw pipe, will be done to know the exact level of alcohol content.
The printer installed is wireless and can give digital prints, which will have the name of the motorist, driving licence number, vehicle number, place, signature of the driver and the officer.
The seven vehicles were handed over to the Deputy Transport Commissioner, South Zone, Thiruvananthapuram, Regional Transport Officers of Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Muvattupuzha, Malappuram, Palakkad, and Kasaragod for deployment in their jurisdiction.
20 more planned
Mr. Paul said the department would soon commence steps to purchase 20 more interceptors so that the entire State could be covered. The gadgets would be mounted in another class of vehicle.
In July 2007, Kerala was one of the six States to get the Rs.22 lakh interceptor free from the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE). As it was found effective, three more were procured by the MVD. These vehicles could to book 60 lakh cases and fetch a compounding fee of Rs.7.5 crore to the exchequer. The MVD now has 11 enforcement vehicles.
