By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Traffic department has collected a total amount of Rs 42.38 lakh through imposition of fines on traffic violators and compounding of vehicles during the period from January to December 2011, including Rs 4.17 lakh collected in December last alone.
Following strict orders from the Director General of Police, the Traffic department here fined over 80 traffic violators and compounded over Rs one lakh in just 15 days in December last.
Police officials said that the DGP’s office had given the instructions before Christmas to all superintendents of police (SPs) that traffic violators shouldn’t be shown leniency and the traffic department acted likewise.
“We have fined over 80 traffic violators and realized a fine of over one lakh rupees in just 15 days in December. Many vehicles were also towed away for violation of traffic rules,” police officials have informed.
Among the traffic violators included Community & Rural Development Minister Saleng Sangma and Ronnie V Lyngdoh, the Chairman of the Assembly’s Privilege and Ethics Committee.
Although Sangma made no fuss about the traffic police implementing the rules and realizing a fine from him, Lyngdoh took offence and summoned two police officials Deputy Superintendent of Police Cherry Shadap and Constable P Thapa to appear before the Privilege Committee.
The Committee, however, did not meet for the hearing as most of the members were not taken into confidence before the summons was issued. The matter was eventually resolved after Additional Director General of Police, Rajeev Mehta, offered an apology to Lyngdoh on behalf of the two police officials. The DGP’s move was widely condemned.
A civil society group, ICARE, felicitated all the three Traffic officials – Sub-Inspector Swapan Dasgupta, who had fined the Sangma, DSP Cherry Shadap and Constable P Thapa — at the East Khasi Hills SP’s office for upholding the law without fear.
Encouraged by the turn of events a traffic police official remarked: “What our three colleagues have done is exemplary and it has now given us the confidence to take action against any traffic violator, whoever the person might be.”
