VIJAYAWADA: Despite increased digital surveillance, many youngsters take the law for granted, and perform dangerous stunts on bikes in busy stretches of Vijayawada. Though there are instances of people reporting such traffic violations to the authorities, the city police are yet to book any violator for reckless riding on the basis of video evidence from CCTV recordings, sources in the department said.
Most youngsters perform stunts at high speeds on sports bikes. A majority of the 5,000 CCTVs installed in the city are not working or under repair, allegedly. A special wing of more than 30 dedicated staff monitor the CCTVs from the Operation Command and Control Room. To top it all, many have uploaded clippings of them performing stunts without any safety gears on Kanaka Durga Flyover, CVR Flyover, Pipula Road-Jakkampudi Colony Road, and MG Road on video sharing platforms.
After watching a few such videos on social media, a resident lodged a complaint with the city police chief, requesting the latter to book the violators as they endanger public safety. “We have decided to act tough against reckless riders who resort to performing stunts and high-speed driving, especially during night hours.
Taking strong note of the risks involved, the police will intensify inspections and apprehend anyone found to be involved in performing stunts that might endanger theirs and others lives. Besides, we have alerted all station house officers to identify the youngsters who own sports bikes so that people who perform dangerous manoeuvres on cityroads can be caught easily,” said Vijayawada police commissioner Bathini Sreenivasulu. He added that the traffic police will conduct regular inspections in the city and its outskirts, and take stringent action against the violators.