Pune: Pune traffic police have been directed to suspend routine penal action through e-challans until August 31 and instead focus on easing congestion, managing traffic at busy junctions and preventing road accidents, Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said following a review meeting.
Under the order, traffic personnel will have to hand over their e-challan machines at police headquarters. Only sub-inspectors and senior officers will retain the devices and use them for serious violations, including heavy vehicles entering no-entry zones. However, CCTV-based enforcement will continue.
The Commissioner has directed personnel to remain stationed at identified congestion points, particularly during peak hours, and to identify the causes of traffic build-up. Officers have been asked to review signal timings, identify new bottlenecks, remove vehicles parked on roadsides and corners, and prevent autorickshaws from obstructing junctions.
“During the monsoon, traffic movement slows down and congestion increases. The priority now should be to identify the reasons for traffic jams and resolve them on the spot rather than focusing on routine penal action,” Kumar said in the order.
A traffic police inspector, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the change would allow personnel to devote more time to traffic management, which often gets divided between regulating vehicles and enforcement.
“On a normal day, we have to manage traffic while simultaneously looking for violations and issuing e-challans. There are several violations every day and attending to each one takes time, which also results in traffic jams. With routine e-challan action paused, our immediate focus is on keeping junctions moving, responding to congestion and preventing situations from turning into major traffic jams,” the inspector said.
Action against drunk driving will continue through special night patrols across the city’s seven police divisions. Each division will also have an emergency traffic team comprising four personnel on two motorcycles to respond quickly to congestion and other emergencies.
The Commissioner has ordered a fresh review of accident black spots and coordination with other agencies to reduce crashes. Around 200 newly recruited personnel will also be trained by the traffic branch, while heavy vehicles violating entry restrictions will face enforcement.
