Cracking the whip on the violators of traffic regulations, the Prakasam Police have introduced e-challan system.
As part the move, the traffic personnel discharging their duties at vital junctions and in the city thoroughfares have been provided with digital cameras. They will capture the people while violating the rules such as riding without wearing helmet, wrong-side driving, triple-riding and talking on cellphone while behind the wheels and jumping the traffic signals.
Erring motorists will be delivered e-challans at their homes with the photographs along with the place and time of offence, says Ongole (Traffic) Deputy Superintendent of Police J. Ram Babu, while overseeing the processing of e-charging of road rules violators here. The system has resulted in better compliance of traffic norms by the motorists and tension-free working for understaffed traffic wing of the police, he says. Without picking any argument with the violators, the traffic personnel on duty will simply capture the pictures of offenders while on the move, along with the registration numbers of the vehicles and transfer the same to the Command Control Centre (CCC) at the District Police Office (DPO) online.
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In turn, the CCC generates e-challans after verifying the particulars of the vehicles, including registration certificate (RC) and driving licence (DL) and deliver by post the notices to violators to their addresses registered with the Road Transport Authority for payment of fine within 15 days, CCC in-charge officer V. Suryanarayana says.
The e-challan system has also helped solve some vehicle theft cases. “We were able to identify nine stolen vehicles, thanks to the system linked with the date available with the State police,” he adds.
The offenders will also be sent an SMS to their mobile phones registered with the Road Transport Authority. Those e-charged can pay the fine by visiting the A.P. online portal or at the nearest Mee seva centre.
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Repeated violations and non-clearance of fines may lead to even seizure of vehicles, warns Mr. Ram Babu.
As many as nine e-challan machines have been put into operation in Ongole, Addanki, Markapur, Darsi and Podili which have generated 13,424 e-challans in a month’s time, Mr. Suryanarayana points out.
Amajority of the traffic rule violations were related to non-wearing of helmets (10,060 cases) followed by driving without licence (537 cases), triple riding (500 cases) and speaking on mobile phones while driving (104 cases), he said, while quoting the numbers.
Motorists can also track the status of the e-challan issued against them online and clear the pending ones by making payment using debit or credit card or internet banking by feeding their vehicle registration number, Mr. Suryanarayana explains. Those, who lend their vehicles to others not having driving license or helmets, will be penalised for traffic rules violations committed by the latter, they add.