Mohali traffic police request admn to buy body cameras, reflectors before FY ends
The road safety committee has already utilised around ₹3 lakh out of the grant with the purchase of 2,800 reflectors, 28 reflecting tapes, stray cattle belts, police reflective cross belts and reflective stickers
With the financial year (FY) end approaching, Mohali traffic police have sought 50 body cameras for the cops from the local administration, for which a budget of ₹20 lakh was allocated last year to the road safety committee headed by Mohali deputy commissioner (DC) Aashika Jain.
Earlier, Mohali police was eyeing to buy a total of 119 body cameras for its 112 traffic cops using the state budget but now the local police have requested additional deputy commissioner (ADC General) Viraj S Tidke to purchase at least 50 body cameras, besides 5,000 reflectors and tapes, using the road safety budget allocated by the Union government.
Mohali, along with other big cities, including Patiala, Jalandhar and Amritsar, was allocated the road safety budget, which will lapse in March. The road safety committee has already utilised around ₹3 lakh out of the grant with the purchase of 2,800 reflectors, 28 reflecting tapes, stray cattle belts, police reflective cross belts and reflective stickers.
Meanwhile, Pradeep Dhillon, RTA, Mohali, and member secretary of the road safety committee, said around 10,000 reflectors were already pasted on the heavy vehicles in the past two months with the help of a few NGOs in the wake of an ongoing Road Safety campaign in the district. “We gave these reflectors to the traffic police and will purchase reflectors in case of need as the aim is to curb the accidents here,” the RTA said.
Few committee members oppose purchase
However, according to the sources, a few members of the road safety committee opposed the utilisation of funds for the purchase of body cameras citing that ₹20 lakh was granted for the purchase of road safety equipment to curb the accidents and the body cameras for the cops were not part of the road safety equipments but rather meant to check the corruption and misbehaviour either by the road users or by the cops.
“High quality 50 cameras having the best audio-video and recording functions will cost us around ₹10 lakh. The proposal has been sent to the DC and after her permission, we will purchase these cameras for the police,” another senior administrative officer said.
ADC Viraj said, “We have received the proposal from the police and it has been forwarded to the DC for final clearance”.
With increasing incidences of bribery allegations and conflicts between cops and commuters, Mohali traffic police are seeking these body cameras.
Mohali senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sandeep Garg said these cameras will help in deciding the complaints of misbehaviour and graft against the police, to streamline the traffic and nab violators. A few senior traffic cops have purchased body cameras themselves.
