BENGALURU: After a gap of almost three months, with lockdown restrictions being eased, Bengaluru Traffic Police cops are back on the roads in full force. They are also back to slapping fines on violators. No new fines had been collected since the lockdown, however, BTP has started ensuring that old pending fines are being paid by citizens.
April onwards, contactless systems have been in place, like PPE kits with face shield, cooling glasses to cover the eyes, masks and sanitiser. A BTP officer informed that the department has been working on SOPs for traffic cops to follow. “We are still working on it and have not started issuing fines for traffic violations due to Covid-19,” said a senior officer.
“Consultations on the SOP have started among experts, doctors and health officials. The update is likely to be released this week,” the officer said. The department is also said to be looking into QR-based payments, or debit/credit card payments to collect spot fines. Several officers had raised the issue of collecting cash from violators, who could potentially be COVID carriers. “We have started giving out kits and are taking precautionary measures,” said DCP, Traffic (East), M Narayan.