Traffic cops want government to sponsor prizes

PANAJI: The Goa traffic police has written to the state government, asking them to sponsor award vehicles for this year’s lucky draw of the traffic sentinel scheme.
For the first draw, held in November 2018, the car was sponsored by Maruti Suzuki while Hero Motors sponsored the motorcycle.

“We have asked the government to sponsor a car and a motorcycle for this year’s lucky draw,” DGP Muktesh Chander said.

He added that the scheme has proven to be successful in cracking down on traffic violations and reduce instances of road mishaps.

Launched in November 2017, this community policing scheme encourages citizens to enroll themselves, capture photos/videos of visible traffic violations and report them to traffic cell via a WhatsApp number. Based on the photo/video evidence, the Goa police validates it before prosecuting the violators. Users get points for each type of violation, which can then be claimed for a cash prize. Sentinels who amass 100 points are eligible for a lucky draw.

“Those who have enrolled themselves under the scheme seriously want to contribute towards road safety. They send their complaints on a regular basis. This initiative is not just about the rewards, but it a social reform of sorts,” Chander said.

In a bid to automate the scheme, at the first draw function, Goa Police launched a smartphone app which shows users their approved points, the offences they have reported and whether the same have been approved or rejected by the traffic cell or are pending. The app has a date and time auto-stamp and GPS to help validate the violations.