KOLKATA: In the past 48 hours, Kolkata Police came down heavily on rogue bikers and drivers — over 2,774 challans were issued only in the last 24 hours and more than 310 drink-driving cases were made. As many as 127 two-wheelers were seized in two days, 77 of them from party zone Park Street and its adjoining areas. Cops said that the raids would continue at least till Republic Day.
“We have impounded the vehicles under section 207 of the Motor Vehicles Act (power to detain vehicles used without certificate of registration permit). The owner has to take the clearance from the DCP office and come back to the guard to claim the vehicle. It’s a week-long process and we felt that it would act as a wake-up call,” said an officer from the east traffic guard.
Sources said Lalbazar has identified a few guards — primarily south and east with the Maidan-Park Circus stretch — as the new rogue biking zones. “Since 2018, we have carried extensive drives in this zone, making the rogue bikers and drivers shift to the eastern and southern suburbs of the city, like the Garia new bypass, and New Town. But, with our focus shifting to other works during pandemic, they began to come back,” explained an officer at Lalbazar.
The decision to crack down was taken on December 10 after a senior cop from Lalbazar faced some bikers between Park Circus and Park Street while returning home at night.
But police said it’s not about prosecutions and punishments. After various guards took special classes to teach two-wheeler riders about the blind spots of commercial vehicle drivers and ride accordingly, the east guard held a special training at the busy seven-point crossing at Park Circus about maintaining proper lanes. “Most two-wheeler accidents happen as two-wheelers rarely have any lane discipline. The tendency to cut through from both corners leads to accidents. We have now trained some riders and took pledges from them that they will not cut through lanes abruptly,” said an officer.
Cops indicated that the raids would continue right up to the Republic Day. “We have been asked to challan — and even impound — two-wheelers all through the day. We have been asked not to wait for special raids. A few stretches have been identified where these checks will be intense,” said an officer from a south Kolkata traffic guard. To ensure that no one gets hurt, the police are relying on CCTV.