Taking note of the City Patrol Unit (CPU) facing flak for allegedly minting money in the guise of slapping challans in those areas wherein there is nothing to do with traffic jams and others, the top police brass of the state have decided to shift their duties to check street crimes like chain snatching, eve teasing, rash driving, drunk driving and stunting by the riders of two-wheelers.
The CPU personnel would also keep watch on illegal mining and sale of illicit liquor in areas they are deployed in.
City Patrol Unit personnel have been directed to swiftly act on the complaints of the street crimes in their assigned areas after Garhwal Range IG Sanjay Kumar Gunjyal held a review meeting to take stock of the performance of CPU on Friday.
He said that he would review the performance of the unit at regular intervals to make it more effective in the city. He further said that the CPU personnel showing outstanding performance would be awarded with cash prizes.
SSP Dr Sadanand Date, SP Traffic DS Gunjyal and those running the CPU were present at the meeting.
IG Gunjyal directed CPU personnel to launch special drives to rein in drunk driving, rash driving and stunting resorted to by the bike riders sternly in Haridwar and Dehradun districts where these are rampant. He stressed on those indulging in such street crimes being slapped with challans.
He also asked the CPU personnel to come down heavily on those who talk on their mobiles while driving and who fail to tie the seat belts properly.
Besides, CPU personnel have been directed to inform senior police officers if they receive information related to illegal mining activities and sale of illicit liquor.
CPU personnel have also been directed to keep video records of both the parties while slapping challan, IG said, adding they need to ensure that video footages are not tempered. Action will be taken against CPU personnel who are caught tempering video footages, he warned.
Notably, CPU was formed in Dehradun in April, 2014. Same units came up later in Haridwar and Haldwani as the works of the unit in stopping traffic rule violations won accolades from some quarters. On Thursday, the state DGP announced that the unit would be extended to three more towns in the state- Kashipur, Rudrapur and Roorkee.