Low number of challans: 23 traffic cops get show-cause notice in Chandigarh
Senior superintendent of police (SSP, traffic) Shashank Anand has issued show-cause notices to 23 cops who issued less than 100 challans in November.
The department had set the target to bring down road fatalities from 98 in 2018 to 85 this year. After the number was breached a couple of days ago, sources said the SSP had sought the challan records.
The number of challans has gone down since the amended Motor Vehicles Act came into force on September 1 (see box). Earlier, the dip was being attributed to the increased compliance in face of exorbitant penalties under the new law.
However, data collected from the challaning branch of the traffic police presented a different picture, said sources. There are around 100 challaning officers on field duty. It was found 23 of them had issued less than 100 challans in November. The average number of challans issued by a cop in a month is 600, said an official privy to the development.
“Hundred challans in a month come around three to four a day, which is a small figure for a traffic cop who is on duty the whole day,” said deputy superintendent of police (DSP, traffic administration) Kewal Krishan.
There are some cops who along with challaning are also put on VIP duty or are part of teams that hold awareness workshops at accident-prone intersections in the city, said the DSP.
“So, the 23 traffic police officials will be given an opportunity to explain this lapse. If they had taken leave or were unwell, it will be taken into consideration. But if an official is unable to explain his absence, strict action will be taken,” he said.
A cop, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “We have many other duties apart from just issuing challans. Most traffic cops are already pushing themselves to the limit, doing morning duty right after night duty and we hope that our superior officers will see our point of view as well.”
When contacted about the action, SSP Anand said that “it is an internal disciplinary matter”.
