Traffic police ask govt for 50% of fines it collects a year

Of the crores that it collects in fines annually, the traffic police, reeling under a severe financial crisis, want the state government to give it 50%. The money will be spent on acquiring better equipment to enforce traffic rules in the city, traffic officials said. The fines – Rs20 crore was collected last year – are always handed over to the state government.

Of the crores that it collects in fines annually, the traffic police, reeling under a severe financial crisis, want the state government to give it 50%. The money will be spent on acquiring better equipment to enforce traffic rules in the city, traffic officials said. The fines – Rs20 crore was collected last year – are always handed over to the state government.

“We will be sending a proposal requesting half of the fines collected to be given to the Mumbai police. The funds will then be used to upgrade the traffic monitoring system and buying the necessary equipment,” said Dr BK Upadhyay, joint commissioner of police, traffic.

If granted, the funds would be a boon for the department. Of the Rs20crore collected, cases of no-parking generated the highest amount in fines with Rs4.17 crore collected until November 2013. The figure was followed by drink driving cases where the police collected Rs3.21 crore.

The authorities also collected Rs2.17 crore in fines from bikers riding without helmets and Rs2.26 crore from those jumping signals.

Traffic officials had, in 2012, asked for extra equipment such as breathalysers and speed guns. Last year, the director general of police (DGP) sent 16 breath-analysing devices. Currently, the police have around 90 devices.

The department has also made a request for 1,600 more policemen for better traffic management. Currently, the strength of the traffic police is around 1,300.

Sources said that the department was also pondering over the bifurcation of traffic outposts for efficiency. "With these two recent proposals sent to the state government, we are hoping for a good year if our wishes are fulfilled by the new government. We will also soon have the e-challan system working in the city,” said Upadhyay.