Vehicle riders and auto drivers expressed concern over the huge penalties being imposed by the traffic police through e-challans. They raised objection to the penalties instead of educating people on traffic rules at the ‘Open House’ programme jointly organised by the City Police and the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) here on Saturday.
Residents of various colonies, auto drivers and people from different sections attended the programme. Auto drivers alleged that the police were focussing more on taking photographs of the violators than regulating the traffic at the busy junctions. Some drivers were paying challans up to Rs. 3,000 while their monthly income was between Rs. 5,000 and 7,000.
Vehicle riders also complained to the police that wrong challans were troubling the citizens. They said the traffic police were more interested in collecting penalties than improving the busy junctions, roads and signals .
Police Commissioner A.B. Venkateswara Rao said that more traffic violations were being reported by auto drivers, thus more challans were being served to them. “However, people can appeal the Deputy Commissioner of Police on issues pertaining to wrong challans,” he clarified.
Participants also raised issues such as beggars at traffic junctions, frequent traffic snarls at a few junctions owing to hawkers, indiscipline among auto and APSRTC bus drivers at bus bays and others during the programme.
In response to some issues, Municipal Commissioner G. Veerapandian said that the police, VMC, Roads and Buildings and Transco officials had made some joint inspections at important junctions and sought the cooperation of people for better traffic management in the city.
Deputy Commissioner of Police G.V.G. Ashok Kumar said that the penalties were aimed at cautioning the vehicle riders against violating traffic norms.
Auto drivers, motorists accuse police of focussing more on imposing fines than on traffic management
