The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Road accidents down in city

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Tuesday, Jul 14, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Road accidents down in city

Marri Ramu

Tremendous increase in compliance of e-challan payments

- PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

Caught on camera: A large number of e-challan compliances has been recorded by the Hyderabad Traffic Police largely due to photographic evidence provided on traffic violations.

HYDERABAD: What was thought to be unachievable on city traffic front has now become accomplishable. Deaths in road accidents in the first half of this year have come down considerably compared to the corresponding period last year!

If road accidents claimed 258 lives in the first six months of June, the figure for the same period this year stood at 237. Even more interesting is the tremendous increase in compliance of e-challans payment. In June alone, 43,979 e-challans were paid by motorists as against the 43,615 issued. Some of the e-challans paid pertained to previous months.

The fall in road accidents -from 251 in first half of 2008 to 228 in 2009- decline in deaths by 21, is a positive sign given the ever increasing number of road users and vehicles, feels the Additional Traffic Police Commissioner, N.V. Surendra Babu. At this rate, by the year end, fatal accidents can be reduced at least by 10 per cent.

Of course, it would not be possible without commuters’ co-operation. Mr. Babu said, in fact, the high rate of compliance in clearing the e-challans is an indicator of the positive response from people to e-challan system.

Earlier, thousands of e-challans were pending for months. After posting vehicle-wise details of e-challans on the traffic police website www.htp.gov.in, it became easier for the vehicle owners to check voluntarily if any challans were issued against them. The website’s e-challan link records 6,000 clicks a day on an average.

Secondly, introduction of Programmable Device Application (PDA), also known as hand-held simulators into which data of all e-challans with vehicles numbers is fed, also prompted the people to pay the pending fine amounts at once.

The Additional Commissioner feels credibility of the police increased since every e-challan is supported by photographic evidence.

Recently, a retired IAS officer complained that an e-challan was issued for no fault of hers.

“We mailed the photograph showing her vehicle jumping the signal. She paid fine within hours,” the police said.

The high court also dismissed a petition filed challenging the powers of traffic police to seize a vehicle for not paying fine amounts.

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