BELAGAVI
Goan motorists would need to be extra careful and better prepared while travelling in Belagavi.
Acting on directives by the Judiciary, the Belagavi Police has launched a massive drive to streamline the city traffic and is imposing penalties on the violators of traffic rules.
The drive is being implemented after Principal District and Sessions Judge RJ Satish Singh on Monday pulled the city police department and civic authorities over the rising number of accidents and incidents of violations of traffic rules in the city.
Justice Singh told media persons that the Police department had been given a target of registering at least 22,000 cases of violations of helmet rule and other
traffic rules.
“Apart from other cases of traffic violation, I am expecting atleast 15,000 cases of violation of helmet rule to be registered during the drive this month,” he said.
He was also serious about the implementation of auto fares in the city and expressed concern over the rising incidents of flouting traffic norms like reckless parking, over speeding, etc, for which he said he would shortly convene a meeting of the authorities.
“Citizens and visitors to Belagavi have complained about the unruly auto drivers who are fleecing the citizens, especially travellers visiting the city. Incidents of reckless parking are also causing traffic menace and are also causing accidents,” he said.
Indicating that he would convene a meeting of senior officials of the Regional Transport Office and the Police Department on enforcement of meter-based fare for auto rickshaws, he said he would also discuss the issue of poor vehicle parking system in the city with the Commissioners of Belagavi City Corporation and Belagavi Urban Development Authority soon.
Justice Singh also urged citizens to approach the District Legal Services Authority for their traffic related and other civic complaints.
Meanwhile, intensifying its campaign against violation of traffic rules, the city police have begun imposing penalty and booking cases against bikers riding without helmet and those flouting the traffic rules. The police under the direction of City Police Commissioner T G Krishna Bhatt swung into action,
forming special squads to book the violators.
According to a press release from the office of the police commissioner, 2,486 cases were booked and fine of Rs 2,48,600 was collected from the violators till late Monday evening.
