Car, bike for traffic sentinels every quarter: CM Manohar Parrikar

PANAJI: Traffic sentinels registered with Goa Police who report violations through WhatsApp will be rewarded with a car/bike every quarter, chief minister Manohar Parrikar said on Saturday.
Speaking at a function that saw 23 traffic sentinels being rewarded, Parrikar said that by 2019 the government wants to reduce the incidence of fatal accidents by 50%. "Ideally, we should ensure zero deaths on Goan roads, but that is not possible," he said.

The government is trying to engage an NGO to help the government reduce road accidents, the CM added.

The traffic sentinel scheme is a novel idea, one that allows the public to become police, Parrikar said.

He added that there are around 1,000 people registered with the Goa police under the scheme. I hope this figure touches 5,000 in the future, he said.

Around 3,000 traffic violations have been reported by the traffic sentinels, and once traffic violators know that they can be caught under the scheme, flouting of traffic laws will reduce, Parrikar said. Five thousand of the one lakh photographs received by Goa police are yet to be processed, he said.

In the first quarter of 2018, the reward will comprise a car, followed by a bike for the next quarter. Thereafter, the prizes will alternate every quarter. "Winners cannot participate in the draw for the next three quarters," Parrikar said.

On November 10, director general of police (DGP) Muktesh Chander launched the 'Traffic Sentinel Scheme', a platform on WhatsApp through which citizens can report traffic violations in the state to the traffic cell and earn cash rewards.

The scheme has been widely accepted by the people of the state and everyday people are registering themselves with the Goa police to fight traffic violators.

Through the schemes, citizens can send photos and videos of violations along with details of the erring vehicle, such as its number plate, to 7875756110.