MLAs resist, but Centre wants to take Traffic Sentinel nationwide
Murari Shetye | TNN | Feb 3, 2019, 07:01 IST
Representative image PANAJI: While legislators, cutting across party lines, demanded that the traffic sentinel scheme be scrapped in the state, the bureau of police research and development (DG BPR&D), which comes under the Union ministry of home affairs has stressed that this scheme should be implemented at a national level.
In a letter to the Goa Police, the bureau said that the scheme could also be suitably replicated with respect to community policing in gender crime cases too.
DGP Muktesh Chander told TOI that it is an honour for Goa that the bureau wants to implement the Traffic Sentinel Scheme across the country. He said Gujarat and Odisha police teams have already visited the state to study the scheme.
In the assembly on Thursday, MLAs had demanded that scheme be scrapped to avoid law and order problems.
People have already been booked for assaulting traffic sentinels for clicking photos and reporting violations.
‘Number of fatal accidents have reduced’
The police, however, are letting the numbers do the talking. Ever since the scheme has been implemented, fatal accidents have reduced. Earlier, one person used to die in road accidents every 30 hours and the maximum number of people killed in road accidents were riding without helmets.
On November 10, 2017, Chander had launched the Traffic Sentinel Scheme, a platform on WhatsApp through which citizens could report traffic violations to the traffic cell and earn cash rewards.
Recently, the police launched an app and over 5,834 traffic sentinels have been enrolled. Traffic police booked 71,162 cases and generated over 2 lakh notices to violators.
In a letter to the Goa Police, the bureau said that the scheme could also be suitably replicated with respect to community policing in gender crime cases too.
DGP Muktesh Chander told TOI that it is an honour for Goa that the bureau wants to implement the Traffic Sentinel Scheme across the country. He said Gujarat and Odisha police teams have already visited the state to study the scheme.
In the assembly on Thursday, MLAs had demanded that scheme be scrapped to avoid law and order problems.
People have already been booked for assaulting traffic sentinels for clicking photos and reporting violations.
‘Number of fatal accidents have reduced’
The police, however, are letting the numbers do the talking. Ever since the scheme has been implemented, fatal accidents have reduced. Earlier, one person used to die in road accidents every 30 hours and the maximum number of people killed in road accidents were riding without helmets.
On November 10, 2017, Chander had launched the Traffic Sentinel Scheme, a platform on WhatsApp through which citizens could report traffic violations to the traffic cell and earn cash rewards.
Recently, the police launched an app and over 5,834 traffic sentinels have been enrolled. Traffic police booked 71,162 cases and generated over 2 lakh notices to violators.
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