In comparison to traffic police and civil police in the last one and half month, the City Patrol Unit which was formed to respond swiftly to crimes like chain snatching, eve teasing and other offences in the city, imposed more challans under Motor Vehicle Act for traffic violations in the State capital.
SP (crime, law and order, election) PHQ Nivedita Kukreti Kumar said that the CPU has imposed maximum challans on persons riding two-wheeler without helmet followed by those guilty of rash driving. She claimed that due to the actions of the CPU, more than 95 per cent of two-wheeler users are now wearing helmets in Dehradun. In addition to this, this unit has also somehow managed to put a check on rash driving on roads of the city, she added.
Sources in the police department said that following public outrage at CPU allegedly becoming a 'money minting unit' for the police department by imposing challans for traffic violations rather than putting check on crimes in the city, the senior police officers have directed the unit members to impose challans only when persons are blatantly violating the MV Act.
The CPU members have also been told to intensify their movement on the roads to put a check on crimes like chain snatching, burglaries and other offences.
Kumar said that from April 1 to 30, the CPU had imposed 560 challans on persons guilty of jumping red lights while traffic police had imposed 82 challans for this violation. CPU imposed 521 challans for rash driving while 541 such challans were issued by traffic police. Though there was much noise about CPU penalising many two-wheeler users for triple riding only 80 challans were imposed for this violation in April.
“The Uttarakhand police will soon launch CPU in Haridwar as the recruitment of constables and sub-inspectors is under process at Police headquarter level," she added.CO (Traffic) Arun Kumar Pandey said that the police imposed 65, 740 challans for traffic violations since January 1, 2014 and collected revenue of Rs1.07 crore in the form of penalty from violators in the district. As many as 18,311 challans were issued to persons riding two-wheeler without helmet and 1078 for over speeding.
In Dehradun city, two inspectors, 14 sub-inspectors, 24 head constables, 139 constables including female constables have been deployed on traffic duty. The CPU consisting of 28 constables and 29 sub-inspectors has been formed to respond swiftly to crimes like chain snatching, eve teasing and other offences in the city and impose challans for traffic violations in the state capital, he added.