1,536 vehicles challaned in Chandigarh since curfew imposed

Despite a curfew imposed in the city since March 23, people have been pushing their luck and venturing out onto the roads. From that day on, working in coordination with local police, the traffic police have challaned a total of 1,536 vehicles for violating curfew. Most violations were due to not possessing the right set of documents and traffic police have impounded 1,363 vehicles since.

As per data, 1,536 vehicles have been challaned for a total of 3,819 violations, most of which have to do with lack of relevant documents including driving license, registration certificates or expired third party insurance. On an average, traffic police are issuing between 100 to 200 challans these days, whereas before the curfew, they were issuing between 500 and 600 challans a day. Policemen attribute lower numbers to lesser traffic and a shift in their working.

Explaining this, deputy superintendent of police (DSP, traffic administration) Kewal Krishan said, “Currently we are setting up nakas only to check those breaking the curfew. At the naka, documents of the driver are checked whereas during traffic nakas documents are only checked when a driver is committing a visible violation. This is why so many people have been challaned. Traffic Violation Information Slips (TVIS) challans are also being issued through the social media profiles and Whatsapp number of the traffic police.”

Krishan added that since cops are not needed to be deployed to manage traffic jams in the city, they have been assigned to check markets and residential areas to spread awareness and urge people to stay indoors. They are also helping distribute food and rations to needy people in colonies across the city.

The use of breathalysers has also been suspended to contain the epidemic and no challans for drunken driving have been issued after March 10, when on the day two people were booked for drunken driving. Police said that with curfew restrictions and ban on opening liquor stores, the likelihood of people driving in a drunk state was considerably less.

On Saturday morning too, the traffic police had set up a naka in Dhanas between 9 am and 1pm and impounded 32 two wheelers and one auto for not having a movement pass. Anyone found driving without a movement pass was to be considered violating curfew. The violator would be challaned and their vehicle impounded. A total of 1,363 vehicles have been impounded this way.

BOX

HED: Challans issued during curfew

INTRO: Despite curfew, people have been venturing out on
the roads, that too without mandatory documents

Total traffic violations____________3819

Driving without license/
expired license/
failing to produce license__________1712

Driving without insurance/
with expired third party insurance____ 839

Driving without RC_______________ 802

Riding without helmet____________ _280

Driving without seat belt___________ 23

Triple riding_____________________14