A drive without a helmet or use of a mobile while driving! Well, if riders think they can get away by just paying the fine, they are wrong. Surprises are in store for them.
Here are some tasks that the traffic violators would be doing. They include standing on the road and regulate traffic on busy roads, cleaning a public space or even a gentler task, like serving food in government-run schools. All these are part of a new set of measures put into action by the district administration, Guntur.
The courts in Guntur came out with a similar programme in 2017 when the judges ordered that the traffic violators should assist the police in traffic duties at busy road junctions.
A man, D. Naga Satheesh, a resident of Mangalagiri, who was caught talking over his mobile while driving on his motorcycle, was ordered by Joint Collector Himanshu Shukla to do social work for three days beginning March 5. Mr. Satheesh complied with the order by serving food during the mid-day meal programme at ZP High School in Pedavadlapudi village.
Awareness campaign
“Awareness campaign on road safety has been on for several years, however significant impact of such drives is not visible. It is important to send a strong message to ensure that such practices are discouraged widely. In such a situation, it is necessary to interpret the existing legal framework in a positive and liberal way as the acts have become social problems and require out-of-box solutions,” Mr. Himanshu Shukla said in his proceedings dated on March 1. The road safety meeting held recently discussed the issue of rise in the number of accidents and in particular, the accidents caused while the person is using mobile. Though the punitive measures involve invoking provisions under Motor Vehicles Act and also under Section 133 of CRPC for creating public nuisance, it was evident that the impact of such punitive actions has not been substantial. Even awareness campaigns on road safety have not yielded results, prompting the law enforcing authorities to come out with out-of-box solutions.