FACEBOOK HELPFUL FOR GOA TRAFFICE POLICE

PANJIM: They may not have much support when it comes to the streets but for sure on the Internet, the Goa Traffic Police are rocking.  Against the view of Chief Minister Digamber Kamat that social networking websites are creating harassments, Goa’s Traffic Department has launched a Facebook profile to reach to the people.
And in the process, they are also receiving lot of flak for their anti-people acts including allowing former Inspector General of Police K D Singh’s son go scot-free even after illegally driving and hitting his father’s official car.
The Facebook account also has several people clicking the snaps of vehicles in the no parking zone, forcing the otherwise lax policemen to issue them challans.
Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Arvind Gawas said that around 25 violators were issued challans after their pictures of traffic violation were uploaded on the Facebook page.
The one-month old account named as ‘Goa Police traffic violation page’ gives liberty to the Facebook users to inform and upload any traffic violation within the State’s boundaries.
Director General of Police Bhim Sain Bassi said that Facebook is being accepted well by citizens. “The use of Facebook social networking portal is indeed proving helpful in solving traffic related issues,” DGP told Herald.
After the increase in traffic violations, the gazetted senior police officers are already given powers, since last year, to write down the challan and send it to the traffic cell to dispatch notices to vehicle owners for traffic violations. SP Gawas claimed that the fresh initiative will help police nail down and regulate traffic violations as evidence by way of photographs can be uploaded on the facebook page.
“Through community participation, even a citizen can report any traffic violation. Through evidence uploaded on the Facebook page, we forward the same to the notice branch from where the vehicle owners are challaned,” he said.
The Facebook page titled ‘Aimed at seeking cooperation from community at curbing traffic violations’ has more than 500 people on its friends list including politicians, journalists and other Goan citizens.
Besides, reporting traffic violations, the Goa Traffic Facebook page is flooded with suggestions, grievances and moreover funny posts.
A lady citizen Aditi Angle Karapurkar has strongly suggested working out a strategy to deal with the problem of four wheelers being parked at two-wheeler parking lots and vice-versa.
She lists down few points on September 4 like: “1: After 8.00 pm opposite Fidalgo...where 4 wheeler parking is extended upto the pavement… (there are atleast 10-12 cars) ... you can check it now 2. Opposite Junta House (annexe).....Morning to evening..trucks, tempos, cars Its not possible to take the snaps as the board for two wheeler parking gets hidden when one tries to take pic of the car/trucks/tempos with no plates.
Traffic cops sometimes stationed there are not ready to take action…”
To this, the department on September 6 replied that the suggestion is “conveyed to concerned authorities for action as per law.”
In a complaint, one Rohit Kamat lamented that no action is taken regarding vehicles parked on both sides of the road opposite Electricity Department office in Aquem Margao. “I got stuck up there today for 20 min…” he rued in his post.
The account also features photographs of a dusty car parked in the ‘no parking’ zone right opposite Panjim police headquarters, Audi car without a registration number plate, illegal registration number plate in another car, and other violations have been posted on the Goa Traffic Police;s official Facebook page. Along with taking action, the department officials have also been thanking vigilant citizens for reporting traffic violations via Facebook. (NT)

3 comments:

aggybaba said...

Photographs can be doctored, you know.

Dalia said...

When traffic police see violations right infront of their eyes, they hardly issue challans. The traffic police first of all need training on how to manage traffic rather than just giving challans. It is a mess specially onthe round abouts as no one knows who has got the right of way, everyone gets into a mess. The traffic fines should be hefty and licenses withdrawn after a minimum of 3 offences so people too will learn to drive carefully. Bus stops should be notified with enough parking space ont he shoulder and not just stop in the center of the road as they do now. speed limits should be regulated as I observe some people drive recklessly in the center of the road at very slow speed blocking the whole lot traffic behind and not paying heed why the cars are fitted with rear view mirrors.

Anonymous said...

From what I have observed, Indians who have learned to drive (or not as the case likely is) have absolutely no driving sense, nor any sense of spatial awareness. This is quite easy to see from the way they just meander across the carriageway, overtake from the wrong side, etc. etc.

The CORRECT right of way on a roundabout, as all drivers with a British driving license would know, is to give way to traffic ALREADY on the roundabout, and to traffic entering the roundabout from the right.

I say British because India and the UK both drive on the left side of the road. It's time that India started enforcing international driving laws here.

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