Pune’s traffic offenders are infamous for driving and riding on the wrong side of the road endangering lives every minute. In a swift move, PCMC decided to crack the whip on these violators and soon enough Pune city traffic police also joined in to rein this menace once for all.
They have commenced registering criminal cases (against these violators) section 279 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
This section states that “If the driver is convicted on the above section he/ she would be either fined for thousand rupees or imprisoned up to for six months or both.
Most informed citizens who spoke to Pune365 applauded this stringent action and shared their opinion on curbing violations.
Kishore Mahaswade, Sub-Inspector of Police (Hinjewadi Traffic Division) shared that their team has effectively booked 11 people for wrong side driving and they have been charged under section 279. The passport verification has been stopped for such offenders and no NOC has been given to them.
Violating traffic rules is a criminal offence and convicted wrong side drivers may lose their job, or may not get a job as their name will reflect this criminal record, added Mahaswade.
With it being quite simple as to lookup someone’s record, whenever you are convicted of a crime, the record will show up during any background checks. Even if you are not found guilty, there are records of the crime that can easily be viewed by employers and other interested parties. Most driving charges are dealt with summarily by the courts and the usual sentence is a fine and a suspended license. You will be able to apply for a pardon sometime after you have paid your fine because the license suspension is not considered part of your sentence for the purposes of a pardon. In Canada, this process of getting a criminal record is referred to as a Pardons Canada.
Ultimately, if you have a DUI conviction – or even if you have only been arrested for a DUI but not found guilty – you should apply to have your record removed.
Asha Sakpal, senior professional opines, “In my opinion, the decision is illogical, as the court is going to decide the judgment for an individual.
There are several cases which are still pending in the court and we’re only adding to the heaps of files and workload of the courts.
Consistent and swift action is what is needed. Increase the fine amounts, and if found guilty on three or more occasions, the traffic personnel should have the authority to arrest and detain the person for a week or month, Sakal added.
No penalty is going to work in the city, says Avinash Gosavi, Active Citizen.Traffic police have implemented various drives in the city and their efforts are certainly worth appreciating, but Punekars are the most undisciplined and arrogant citizens.
They fail to understand the basic logic of safety! Citizens are cribbing over increasing traffic, but 86 per cent fail to understand that they’re the reason for this huge mess.
A force of 5000 cannot be expected to handle the vehicles of our 35 lakh population. In fact, residents of Wagholi took a great step with their initiative to help manage traffic to curb the menace with the police force.
Such citizen initiatives from different parts of the city is the need of the hour. And if not this, then Pune citizens should at least follow the rules, Gosavi added.
Rohit More, software professional says, “Driving on the wrong side is not just about is violating a traffic rule, it endangers vehicles and pedestrian on both sides of the traffic.
Such strict policies must be implemented to discipline all the stubborn citizens of Pune.
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