Karnataka: Cops collect Rs 85 lakh in traffic fine pending for three years

MYSURU: The city traffic police have collected a total of Rs 85 lakh in traffic fines pending between 2019 and 2022.
Fine defaulters made the payment after a text message was sent through the District Legal Service Authority asking them to pay the fine to avoid legal action. They were given the option to pay a fine either online or offline.
Fine amount to the tune of Rs 25 crore is due from nearly one lakh traffic rule violators in Mysuru city alone.The city police are taking a lead in collecting fine dues in Karnataka.
Deputy commissioner of police (Traffic) Geetha Prasanna explained to TOI that fines of about 90,000 traffic violation cases are yet to be paid by the vehicle users in Mysuru city. This includes traffic offences including using mobile phones while driving, helmet-less riding, triple riding, driving in reverse direction in one-way traffic road among others recorded by surveillance cameras installed across Mysuru city. Such cases have been categorised as field traffic violations because offences are captured on camera and violation notices are sent through post to residential addresses of the registered owners. Although notices have been dispatched to rule violators not many have paid the fines. Cases of non-payment are pending since 2019.
The DCP said about Rs 25 crore has to be collected in fine amount from 90,000 cases alone.
To a query, Geetha Prasanna said if vehicle owners have queries on notices of traffic violation, they may verify the same at Mysuru One centres. “We will collect pending violation dues from offenders and action will be taken to serve legal notices if violators ignore messages,” she said.
On average, city police register around 2,000 traffic violations cases using CCTVs installed across Mysuru city.
The office of District Legal Service Authority said about Rs 85.4 lakh in fines were collected from 10,000 offenders within a few days.