Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Move on traffic police opposed

Thiruvananthapuram: The decision to take away investigative powers from the traffic police in the name of making enforcement of traffic rules more effective has come in for opposition and confusion in the force.

The decision to hand over the power to take action under the Indian Penal Code to the local police will make the traffic police ‘toothless’, it was pointed out.

Once the decision taken at the meeting of the top police officials is implemented, the traffic police would not be able to take action against motorists indulging in rash and negligent driving and illegal parking coming under IPC.

Cases for rash and negligent driving by motorists are taken under Section 279 of the IPC and for traffic obstruction under Section 283 of the IPC. “Once the decision is implemented, we will not have powers to book vehicles that violate speed restrictions and those who park haphazardly causing inconvenience to other road users,” a traffic official said.

The decision taken at a meeting convened by Minister for Home Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in the capital recently was without proper consultation of those working in the traffic wing and without knowing the ground realities.

The finding that enforcement of the traffic wing is getting affected as the officials attached to the traffic police stations in the State are busy with investigation of cases relating to road accident is reportedly what prompted the government to strip the powers of traffic police.

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