the goan I network
PANAJI
The amount due to traffic sentinels, which had been pending for few months, has been cleared by the State government. Around Rs 37.81 lakh will be deposited in the accounts of the sentinels in the coming days.
“I am happy to inform that government has sanctioned the reward money for the traffic sentinels. I wanted this order before I hand over the charge. Now the money will be credited in the accounts of the sentinels in a few days from now,” said DGP Muktesh Chander.
In an order issued on February 27, the home department sanctioned 25.89 lakh for clearing pending payment to 86 traffic sentinels.
The government has also given ex-post facto
expenditure sanction of for expenditure of Rs 11.92 lakh for 47 traffic sentinels.
The traffic sentinel scheme was started in 2017 and now there are around 1000 traffic sentinels registered. Goa Police’s traffic violation informants, who have volunteered for the controversial ‘traffic sentinel scheme’, have won a car, motorcycle as well as nearly Rs 67.42 lakh in incentives.
There chief Minister in a written reply to a question in Goa assembly has said that till date an amount of Rs 11.92 lakh has already been disbursed amongst 78 traffic sentinels who have accumulated 100 or more points. Further, the process of disbursement of an amount of Rs 55.50 lakhs to 206 eligible traffic sentinels is in progress.
At a press conference earlier this month, DGP Chander had announced that in 2018 Goa Police prosecuted 7.74 lakh traffic violators; a number which is more than half the state’s population of 14.59 lakh.
This Director General of Police Muktesh Chander’s pet ‘traffic sentinel scheme was under criticism also. several traffic sentinels have been beaten up in public by irate commuters for taking photographs of traffic violations in different parts of Goa.
The scheme, launched in 2017, allows citizens to report on 10 types of traffic violations (like driving against the flow of traffic, parking on the footpath, riding without helmet) by clicking a photograph or video of the offender and vehicle registration plate and sending it to Goa Traffic Police department through a WhatsApp number. For every 1,000 points earned, the sentinel can earn Rs 1,000.
