1200 offenders booked within 15 days of installing CCTV on Mumbai-Pune expressway

In a bid to curb the rising number of accidents and keep a check on offences like speeding and lane cutting, the state transport authority recently installed CCTV cameras on police patrolling vans on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

The move came weeks after 17 people lost their life in a tragic incident when a luxury bus rammed into two cars on the expressway on June 5. With the help of CCTV cameras, the registration numbers of the offenders is being recorded, following which a challan of penalty for the offence is being delivered to the vehicle owner’s address by RTO officials.

According to RTO official Anand Patil, over 440 vehicles have been charged for lane-cutting and over 840 have been charged for speeding so far. While speaking to Indian Express, Patil said, “Through the recordings of the cameras, it is easy for us to record the registration numbers of vehicles flouting traffic rules. As it is not possible for them to be asked to stop mid-way, challans are sent to their homes. For vehicles beyond our jurisdiction, we send e-mails to the RTO offices concerned.”

As of Tuesday, a total of 1288 cases have been registered against vehicle owners. Although over 1200 cases have been registered, challans have been issued only to a fraction of these offenders.

According to RTO officials, only 14 of those who have been issued the challans have settled their fines so far.

The official added that if motorists don’t pay the fine against the challan within the stipulated time, they will be liable to pay the fine with penalties when they get their vehicle to the RTO.