MARGAO: The Margao Traffic Cell in 2018 registered nearly 65,000 cases under the Motor Vehicle Act and collected nearly Rs 84 lakh by way of fines besides suspending 137 licences.
Of the 1,502 cases recommended for suspension of licences for overspeeding, 101 licences were suspended while 11 of the 139 licenses recommended for suspension for breaking a red-light signal were suspended.
Of the 466 cases recommended for suspension for using a mobile while driving, 16 licences were suspended and of the 566 cases recommended for suspension for driving under the influence of alcohol 29 were suspended.
PI Mohan Gaude explained that the Assistant Director of Transport to whom the cases are recommended for suspension of licences has to follow his procedure such as issuing a show cause notice first and then holding hearings and that is why it takes time for suspension of licences.
Another problem faced by the police is that the traffic violator very often claims not to have the licence and hence suspension of licence cannot be recommended as for that the licence is mandatory. In 2018, there were 421 cases where the transgressor did not possess the licence.
Riding without helmet has raked in a lot of money in the form of fines as the Traffic Cell booked 23,488 such cases and collected Rs 23,50,150 in the form of fines. The cell collected fines Rs 7,89,700 for dangerous parking from the 7,844 such cases booked.
Police collected Rs 5,49,700 as fines from the 1,640 cases booked for overspeeding and Rs 4,16,250 from the 647 persons booked for rash and negligent driving. An amount of Rs 2,73,300 was collected by fines from the 488 persons booked for using mobile while driving.
Other major fines collected by the police include Rs 3,87,100 from 740 persons booked for driving without licences, Rs 1,38,700 from the 1,358 persons booked for carrying extra pillion rider and Rs 2,33,000 from the 2324 cases booked for driving without using the seat belt.
While the police collected Rs 2,35,000 from the 2,343 cases registered for driving a vehicle with tinted glasses, Rs 7,21,100 was collected from people driving through streets demarcated as “No Entry”.
Interestingly, police booked 217 cases against underage drivers and collected Rs 1,14,900 as fines and registered 628 cases of letting someone drive the vehicle without a licence and collected Rs 3,18,750 as fines.
From the 1908 cases of violating traffic signals that were booked, the police collected Rs 1,91,600 as fines and Rs 1,12,200 from the 228 cases booked for driving vehicle without pollution under control certificate.
While Rs 3,58,500 was collected from the 3577 cases booked for unauthorized parking, Rs 2,13,800 was collected from the 2,105 persons booked for driving vehicles with improper number plates and Rs 99,600 was the fine collected from 973 persons whose vehicles had no number plate. Rs 1,17,700 was collected from the 1152 persons booked for having no rear mirrors on their vehicles.
There was a 22 per cent drop in fatal accidents registered by the Traffic Cell as in the year gone by 46 people died in as many fatal accidents registered while in 2017 in the 58 accidents reported 59 people lost their lives.
