Paying just a Rs100 challan won’t let you off the hook for violating traffic rules from now on as a the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety has empowered Delhi Traffic Police to seize the driving licences of traffic violators. So next time you talk on the phone while driving, or go beyond the speed limit, think twice lest you lose your licence for up to three months, even for a first-time offence.
“The Supreme Court committee authorises traffic police to seize licences of violators of speed limit, traffic signal jumpers and those using mobiles while driving. The Delhi Traffic Police will start seizing the driving licences of traffic violators as empowered by the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety,” Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Muktesh Chander tweeted.
Chander had requested the committee to give more powers to the traffic police and after getting the panel’s green signal, he said the same would be implemented “very soon”.
The committee had earlier recommended that the driving licences of errant drivers be suspended for three months for violations like over-speeding, jumping red lights and using phones while driving. It had also recommended jail-time for serious violations like driving recklessly or under the influence of alcohol.
However, since only the Transport Department can suspend a driving licence, the traffic police could only recommend the cancellation of the licence and had no powers earlier to actually seize the licence.
Chander had then requested the Supreme Court Committee to empower the police to actually seize the licence as means of a strong deterrent against traffic violations.
“Earlier, what we used to do was to recommend the cancellation of licences to the Transport Department after which they used to issue a notice to the driver to surrender the licence. By the time that whole process used to happen, if at all, major part of three months may have already elapsed and during the whole time, the offender would have the possession of the licence and could still drive on the road. But now, the offender would immediately lose the licence and get it back only after three months,” said Chander.
It must be noted that Delhi Traffic Police has been conducting regular exercises to prosecute traffic offenders. Earlier this month, they had launched a drive called “Operation Chakravyuh” to curb people’s tendency to violate traffic laws on Sunday and holidays when there is thin presence of traffic police.
“There is a general impression that on Sundays and holidays there is thin presence of traffic police on the roads. This gives rise to tendency to violate traffic laws by the motorists. In order to check and control this tendency, Delhi traffic police conducted operation Chakravyuh to prosecute violators of traffic rules particularly two wheeler riders. We will carry out operation Chakravyuh on various junctions and localities by surprise in the coming days,” Chander had said.
It is expected that next time the traffic police conducts the operation, licences may also be seized and sent for suspension to the Transport Department.