Caught for traffic violation in Mohali? Brace for 2-hour community service

Community service at hospitals could include helping elderly patients, fetching medicines from the nearby chemist, donating blood or even carrying the stretcher. Traffic violators in Mohali will have to undergo the punishment even if its their first violation.

Next time you are driving on Mohali roads, go easy on the accelerator and make sure you aren’t drunk as you may end up spending two-hours doing community service at government hospitals, besides paying the challan, if caught for speeding or drunken driving even if it’s your first offence.

Traffic violators will have to undergo the punishment, besides the fine even if its their first offence in Mohali. (HT File)

Though the state government had issued a notification to this effect in August this year, the Mohali administration has started its implementation now.

Community service at hospitals could include helping elderly patients, fetching medicines from the nearby chemist, donating blood or even carrying the stretcher.

Mohali regional transport authority (RTA) Pardeep Singh Dhillon said, “We have already started sending people to government hospitals for two-hour community service. We will release their documents only if they get a certificate from the senior medical officer (SMO) that they have completed the service.”

“Besides community service, they will also have to pay the challan amount,” he added. Ramandeep Singh, a resident of Roorkee village in Dera Bassi, who was challaned for speeding recently said, “When I went to the RTA office for my documents, they told me to go to the Phase-6 civil hospital. I donated blood as part of the community service.”

Mohali senior superintendent of police Vivek Sheel Soni said, “The traffic police wing has already started laying out police nakas to check those exceeding the speed limit, jumping red light, using a mobile phone while driving, or getting behind wheel under the influence of liquor. We also seek public cooperation for curbing road mishaps. We urge school authorities to educate underage children or students about traffic rules, besides preventing them from driving vehicles unless they have obtained a licence.

What is the challan amount?

As per the fresh notification of the state government, the first offence of exceeding a speed limit will attract a fine of ₹1,000 and suspension of the offender’s driver’s license for three months. For drunken driving, the fine is ₹5,000 in addition to the license suspension for the same duration.

For subsequent offences, speeding will attract ₹2,000, again along with the suspension of license for three months, while drunken driving will attract a ₹10,000 fine in addition to the suspension.

A fine amount of ₹1,000 and ₹2,000, along with the suspension of license for three months, will be imposed, respectively, on the first and second violation in case of red-light jumping.