The Traffic Police in Raipur district collected Rs 2 crore as fines from persons violating traffic rules during year 2013. However, surprisingly, not even a single vehicle was fined for overloading during the first nine months of 2013 in the entire district. However, a total of 17 vehicle owners were fined for overloading in October, November and December last year.
Explaining the reason behind lower fine collection due to overloading of vehicles, a senior official in the Department said on condition of anonymity that the Department is acutely understaffed and it is not possible to run and maintain an intensive drive against such violators . “Traffic constables are routinely pulled out from their work and put on duty for either a VIP movement or for a religious, social or political rally. Whatever meagre staff we have is required to focus on traffic management in the city considering the rising number of vehicles in the city,” the official said.
“We cannot launch a steady and intensive drive because it will exhaust our already-overburdened staff,” he said. The Department has a sanctioned strength of 361 traffic personnel out of which around 50 posts are lying vacant. However, the officials of the Department say that they are in need of at least 500 additional traffic policemen for the district. Most of the traffic violators were found to be two-wheeler riders. While more than 34,400 motorbike riders were fined last year, the traffic police penalized merely 974 bus operators.
Similarly, not even two drivers were fined on a daily basis in the entire district for drunken driving. A total of 413 commuters were challaned for drunken driving last year. It may be noted that 394 lives were lost in the district because of road accidents which had gained huge media attention and even a rebuke from Chief Minister Raman Singh. However, according to Inspector General of Police JP Singh, number of sanctioned posts cannot be increased because of financial constraints. There is no increase in posts on cards this year.
According to available statistics, only 84 vehicle owners were fined for defaulting number norms and only 244 for parking or driving in restricted area.