BENGALURU: To curb accidents on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, police have started cracking down on overspeeding vehicles. While the speed limit on the expressway is 100 km per hour, many vehicles are breaking the limit and that is said to be one of the reasons for accidents on the 119-km e-way.
Additional Director General of Police (Traffic and Road Safety) Alok Kumar, who travelled along the e-way last week, got accident data from Ramanagara, Mandya and Mysuru district police. According to the report, the e-way witnessed 296 accidents since January and of these 132 were fatal.
Using radar speed guns, the Ramanagara police on Monday and Tuesday started booking vehicles for overspeeding. Till Tuesday night, Ramanagara police slapped fines on 44 vehicles that were crossing the limit. Sources from the police department said the speed limit enforcement will be done by Mandya and Mysuru police also and there were no clarity on the total number of vehicles booked on Wednesday.
Alok Kumar was not available for comments. 512 accidents on e-way since Jan, says minister The state government on Wednesday said it will look into motorists’ safety on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway and take appropriate measures. Responding to JDS MLC Marithibbe Gowda’s question in the Legislative Council, PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi said there are some issues and they will take them up with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials to rectify them.
“It is not completely in our control. We will hold a meeting with NHAI officials and take decisions,” the minister said. The minister also said they have already discussed the matter with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and that the state government is looking at the issue seriously.
According to information provided by the minister, 512 accidents were reported on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway since January 2023, in which 123 persons died and 585 people sustained serious injuries. Of them, 245 accidents were reported between the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta stretch of the highway. Gowda urged the state government to take up the issue with the Centre as many people lost their lives in accidents. He said the project was not implemented as per the original detailed project report.
GOVT ANNOUNCES 50% REBATE FOR TRAFFIC FINES
Bengaluru: In response to the request made by the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA), the state government issued an order declaring a 50 per cent rebate in the fine imposed in traffic e-challan cases registered by the police department before February 11, 2023. According to a government order on Wednesday, this rebate will be available to those cases to be settled till September 9, 2023. This was after resolved to appeal the government in the meeting chaired by the Justice G Narendar, chairman of KSLSA, on June 14, 2023, to announce 50 per cent rebate.