My Unique Christmas Tree Decorated with 48 Traffic Violation Tickets Issued by a Goofy Cop
Mangaluru: This was Traffic Automation System Gone wrong? I Got Fined Rs 6400 between 1 Nov -31 Dec ’18, and Every Violation on various were between days of 1 November 2018-31 December 2018 at the funny part was that all violations were noted down at 11.11 pm? . Believe it or Not -Strange but True- how can any traffic violation happen at the same time (11.11 pm) on the days between 1 November 2018 until December 2018 end? And after a report (Ref: Traffic Automation System Gone Wrong? I Got Fined Rs 6400 between 1 Nov-31 Dec ’18 & All Violations at 11:11 pm) was published on 1 May 2019, and also sent to the kind attention of then-Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil, who has been quick in taking action against traffic issues, for which I very much compliment him- and also to the attention of ACP Manjunath Shetty and DCP Hanumantharaya. Sirs, in order to rectify such issues, and it was ACP Manjunath Shetty, who personally called me, and the error made by a careless cop at Kadri East Police station was solved, where action was taken against the cop, and was transferred.
It should be noted that on June 2017, The city police inaugurated the Traffic Automation Centre, which was modelled on the lines of Bengaluru’s Traffic Management Centre, in order to keep a tab on traffic violations using CCTV cameras installed in 30 different locations in the city. It was explained during the inauguration that personnel will be watching the footage & take an image of the violator and then send a notice imposing a penalty on the owner of the vehicle. In case of repeat offenders, action will be taken to impound driving licence too. It was also mentioned that 93 CCTVs will be viewed by police personnel on video screens. Apart from CCTV cameras, the traffic police will be using 16 hand-held devices for recording traffic offences. The traffic policeman on the road will take an image of the violator and send it to the Traffic Automation Centre for issuance of notice imposing a fine. And that nearly Rs 1.39 crore was spent towards the purchase of 75 CCTV cameras and setting up of the Traffic Automation Centre, which was done under the Phase II of the M-TRAC (Mangaluru Traffic Improvement) project.
That was good news for all us that the traffic cops will crack down on motorists violating traffic rules etc. But unfortunately, later in the days and months came bad news for many motorists who were slapped with fines for violations that they didn’t commit, and that I too was a victim of this Traffic Automation Monitoring System incorrect information. I received day after day, inland letter cards from enforcement automation center of Mangaluru City Police and the traffic violation for all these traffic violations, which were NOT COMMITTED BY ME in the month of November/December 2018, but was mailed by post on 27 April 2019 (postal stamp on them) and I rushed to Kadri East police station to verify them.
Among the many violations slapped on me were- 1) One Way/No entry Rs 100; 2) Defective Number Plate Rs 100; 3) Vehicle without Side Mirror Rs 100; 4) Carrying Excess Passenger Rs 100; 5) Racing and Trials of Speed Rs 500; 6) Driving Dangerously/Reckless-Two Wheelers Rs 300; 7) Triple Riding Rs 100. Wow- not only I was surprised getting ball these traffic violation tickets in the mail, more than that I was fumed. Looking at all these violations, I was very much sure that someone in the police department had made a blunder or the Traffic Automation system was not working right. Never in my life I have taken three persons in my scooter, never had rode rash or recklessly, always had my side mirror no matter what, because I always see for traffic behind me in the side mirror, and among other nonsense violations slapped on me.
A senior police officer, who wanted to remain anonymous said, “There are times when the automated registration plate reading machines do make a mistake. If the alleged violator shares the proof that it was not his bike or car, we delete the complaint against them. This happens mostly when a bike or car bears a fancy number plate. The make of the vehicle is also recorded in the camera and we do check for such errors while taking the fine or if the person raises the issue with us. But we did had some issues of people getting fined for violations not done by them, it was due to someone’s negligence in 2018, and everything has been taken care of now”.
Yes, apart from me there are quite a few denizens of the City who are not happy with the Enforcement Traffic Automation System, an automated way of recognizing traffic rule violation as many have been fined for a violation that they haven’t committed. Even though my issue was handled smoothly by the Centre today by the police staff there, but I still have a feeling that such issues still persist. Therefore, if a traffic violation notice/letter reaches your home door by mail, or a traffic cop stationed near a busy traffic lights stops you for a previous violation, do check the fine is for an actual violation or an error in recording the registration number or go to the nearest police station and verify the violation on the CCTV footage.
Now that my case was settled without paying any fines or getting me into more trouble, so on a lighter side of vein I wanted to display all these 40 plus traffic violations tickets on my Christmas tree, and make this year’s Christmas tree a UNIQUE ONE, and make it a MEMORABLE ONE. Thanks to Ullhas Rasquinha-the proprietor of Jerosa Company, Mangaluru for courtesy of Christmas Tree. Wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS & A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2020!
