The Mangaluru City traffic police is effectively making use of 15 surveillance cameras, recently installed by the Mangaluru Smart City Limited, for booking cases, including helmet-less driving, driving without seatbelt, triple riding, and defective registration plates.
In the last 11 months, the traffic police booked a total of 1.08 lakh cases and collected fine of ₹5.51 crore. As much as ₹5.86 crore was collected in 2021 and ₹4.20 crore in 2020. The fines for the offences range between ₹500 and ₹3,000.
Five cameras of the “smart” pole installed at Mangaladevi Circle in the city. | Photo Credit: Raghava M.
The traffic police are booking cases by randomly watching the feed from the 15 surveillance cameras at the Integrated Command Centre set up by the Mangaluru Smart City in Lalbagh and at the Enforcement Automation Centre in the premises of Mangaluru Traffic East Police Station.
In addition, cases are also booked by after looking at the photographs of violating vehicle sent to these centres by police personnel above the rank of constables.
Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar said on an average the city police are issuing 200 notices every day. The fines are being collected at the office of Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Pandeshwar, and at the four traffic police stations.
Fines are also collected by officers above the rank of assistant sub inspector using the handheld device. Fine is also collected online on the website www.karnatakaone.gov.in where the payee has to pay additional service charge of ₹10, he said.
The 15 surveillance cameras are the ones installed on “smart” poles that have come up at the Hampankatta, Hamilton Circle, Rao and Rao Circle, PVS Circle, Lalbagh, Narayana Guru (Ladyhill) Circle, Bunts Hostel, KPT, St. Agnes Circle, Pumpwell, Mangaladevi Circle, Kadri Mallikatte, Kavoor Padavinangady and Padil.
Each of the pole has four fixed edge box cameras and a position turning zone (PTZ) camera, which help in getting clear view of the offending vehicle. These cameras are also used for maintenance of law and order and for crime detection, he said.
Mr. Kumar said notices are being issued not just to vehicles registered in Dakshina Kannada, but also from other parts of the State. Talks are on with the neighbouring Kerala police for sharing of vehicle registration details. “We will shortly start issuing notices to vehicles registered in Kerala,” he said.
Mr. Kumar said traffic violation enforcement is being reviewed regularly and police teams are being sent to different parts of the State for serving notices in cases where postal addresses present in the database is not clear. Cases of payment of fine that are pending since two years are being referred to Lok Adalat, he said.
