Spotted a traffic violation in Gurgaon? Send proof to police on WhatsApp

The next time you notice a traffic violation in Gurgaon, click a picture or record a video and send it to the police on messaging app WhatsApp or through email.

The next time you notice a traffic violation in Gurgaon, click a picture or record a video and send it to the police on messaging app WhatsApp or through email. The only condition is that the registration number of the vehicle and the proof of violation should be evident in the picture or video.

Sandeep Khirwar, Gurgaon police commissioner, inaugurated a postal challan office at the old commissioner’s office on Friday.

This is a first-time initiative by the Gurgaon police in a bid to deter people from violating traffic rules even in areas without police presence or cameras installed.

Police will verify the violation and send a notice to the violater. If the vehicle owner does not respond in a week, he/she would be penalised under the Motor Vehicle Act. The punishment could be up to three months imprisonment or a fine of Rs 1,000, a police spokesperson said.

Sandeep Khirwar, commissioner of police, inaugurated a postal challaning branch at the old police commissioner’s office and an e-challan branch on Friday. The e-challan branch will be located at the sub-registrar’s office in Manesar.

Khirwar said anyone could send photos or videos of traffic violators on the WhatsApp number, 9999981800, or email at branch email ID - pcbranchggm@gmail.com. Police will verify the violation and send a notice to the vehicle owner asking about the person who was driving at the time of the reported violation.

The violator would have to respond in written within a week, failing which, action would be initiated under the Motor Vehicle Act, the spokesperson said.

The postal challaning branch would be used to send challans to violators, who manage to avoid police action on road, through post, the spokesperson said.

In order to ensure that the challan payment is smooth, the new e-challan branch was opened at Manesar. Earlier, there was only one branch at Sushant Lok that caused a lot of hassles for people coming to pay fines.

In November, the traffic police were equipped with 15 body-worn cameras for better functioning and efficient monitoring of traffic related matters. The cameras attached on a police personnel’s uniform are able to capture video and audio recordings of violations.