Mysuru: Former Mayor Sandesh Swamy has alleged that the City Traffic Police were engaged in checking vehicles in an irrational and unscientific way and suggested that the Police should work in the interest of easing the traffic flow and safety of people.

Addressing a press meet here recently, Sandesh Swamy contended that the vehicle checking was being done as in the 18th century and pointed out that no where in the country Police stop or chase vehicle riders to fine them for violating traffic rules.

Continuing, Sandesh Swamy said that from 2013 to 2018 (July), 34 lakh cases of traffic rule violations have been registered in city and 23 lakh cases are pending. Out of them, 90% of the cases were registered based on CCTV footages. About Rs. 85 lakh has been spent to just send notices to violators of traffic rules.

CCTVs have been installed spending crores of rupees. Four Interceptor vehicles have been purchased and put to use by the Police Department spending Rs. 30 lakh to track vehicles overspeeding than permissible limit. It is a pity that the Police are still engaged in a primitive way of checking vehicles, he regretted.

The Police should focus on the condition of roads and pavements and create awareness among people on traffic rules and road safety. Checking of vehicles should not be at the cost of inconveniencing traffic flow which would induce road accidents.

It is better to check vehicles at parking places which would not hamper traffic flow, he said and called upon the City Police Commissioner and senior Police Officers to personally inspect and evolve a change in system.

About 750 road accidents occur in city every year taking away lives of 150 to 200 people which is a living testimony of poor traffic system.

A few Police personnel and Home Guards stop two-wheelers ridden by women and students on the pretext of checking and behave in a repulsive way. Home Guards with no formal training and poor etiquette are utilised for traffic control, alleged Sandesh Swamy and recalled that a woman two-wheeler rider was stopped by a Cop in Kalyanagiri recently and forced to pay a hefty fine for 16 traffic violations and refused to issue the receipt for payment citing ‘network problem.’

He observed that unscientific vehicle checking was inconveniencing the poor and the middle class and appealed the Police Commissioner to view the matter seriously and bring in a change.

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