Payments of the fine amounts can be done at the counters in 25 traffic guards of Kolkata Police and at their headquarters in Lalbazar. (File) Payments of the fine amounts can be done at the counters in 25 traffic guards of Kolkata Police and at their headquarters in Lalbazar. (File)

Kolkata Traffic Police cleared 4.75 lakh pending cases related to traffic violations in four days, after the announcement of a new discount scheme.

“In the last four days, 4.75 lakh cases have been disposed of. These cases were pending for long. It is first of its kind that such a scheme has been introduced. This offer was only extended to cases that were registered till November 15. Prosecution for violation of any traffic rule is continuing,” Mitesh Jain Joint CP (Traffic) told The Indian Express.

The total penalty amount paid in last few days is around Rs 1.56 crore rupees.

The ‘One Time Traffic Fine Settlement Scheme’, which came into force from December 1, is divided into two phases.

Explained As traffic grows, system flooded with more cases Expediting the settlement of traffic fines will allow authorities to pursue prosecution for more serious infractions such as drink-driving and reckless driving. Data points to a huge spike in cases related to traffic violations. While only 16 cases of drink-driving were registered in 2013, 3,887 such cases were recorded in 2017. The cases related to overspeeding was 2,480 in 2013, but became 28,577 in 2017. As many as 2,51,104 vehicles were penalised for violating traffic signals in 2013, while last year the number rose to 2,61,969. With the number of vehicles growing in a limited space, the Kolkata Police will have to make number of structural and functional changes in order to ensure smooth traffic management in the city.

In the first phase, people can clear their fines by paying only 35 per cent of the total dues. This phase will end on January 14, after which 50 per cent of the fine amount has to be paid to clear the pending cases. The second phase ends on February 13. After completion of the second phase, people will have to pay the original amount to clear the cases.

“It is a great endeavour and they have made the process really easy and user-friendly”, said Rakesh Kumar, who had three cases registered in his family, which had been pending for long. He added that he had already cleared one case so far.

The fine amount can be paid both online or offline. Online payment can be made using the official website of Kolkata Police. Payments can be done at the counters in 25 traffic guards of Kolkata Police and at their headquarters in Lalbazar.

Millions of cases have been pending before the Lok Adalat since 2003 or 2004, official sources said. Officials said there are many offenders who claim they were not present at the spot.

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