‘Unarmed’ traffic dept looks on as speedsters go freewheeling | Latest News Delhi - Hindustan Times
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‘Unarmed’ traffic dept looks on as speedsters go freewheeling

Hindustan Times | BySubhendu Ray, New Delhi
Mar 13, 2011 12:43 AM IST

Speeding up your vehicle during the day time might land you in trouble, but you are free to press the accelerator during night.

Speeding up your vehicle during the day time might land you in trouble, but you are free to press the accelerator during night.

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HT Image

Surprisingly, the Delhi traffic police have no mechanism in place to check ‘speeding’ during night when a huge number of road accidents and fatalities take place.

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This has been revealed by the ministry of home affairs on Tuesday in Rajya Sabha during replies to queries.

According to the MHA, no speed detecting equipment have been installed across the city roads by the police during night and wee hours to check speeding.

The traffic police though felt the urgent need to acquire radar guns with night-use capabilities three years ago to curb road accidents on city roads during night hours, the proposal never saw the light of day. Such radar guns are the state-of-the-art speed detection equipment with infra-red rays.

“Radar guns with night-use capabilities are actually the need of the hour. The radar guns that we have with us are very old and cannot be used when it is dark,” said Ajay Chadha, special commissioner of police (traffic).

According to another senior traffic police officer, the department is yet to figure out the exact number of such equipment that are required for the national capital. “We will invite the tender once the requirement evaluation is completed,” he said.

The Delhi police in 2009 had floated a tender in the international market to purchase 15 radar guns. However, due to technical reasons the deal never took place.

Sources said the non- allocation of funds by the Union government was the reason behind that. Each radar gun is available in the international market for R20-30 lakh.

Radar guns are wireless and can detect speed automatically.

The Delhi traffic police deploy personnel according to the availability of staff for picket duty and patrolling in the night and wee hours.

Besides, around 484 PCR-multi-purpose vehicles are deployed during night hours on Delhi roads. These vehicles, however, cannot detect speed of vehicles, said sources.

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