CHENNAI: In a bid to ensure safety on roads, additional superintendent of police (ADSP) at headquarters in the districts, and additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) for traffic in cities have been nominated as nodal officers for certifying the functioning of electronic devices used to impose penalties for traffic offences. Acting on the recommendation of the transport commissioner, the home transport department recently issued a government order notifying the changes.
“Currently, the ADSP in the district and the ADCP (traffic) in the city act as nodal officers for traffic and road safety cell. These officers will now study the defects in the electronic enforcement devices and recommend replacements in case of failure. This will ensure motorists are not penalised erroneously,” said a transport official.
Currently, e-challans issued in the state need to be paid within 60 days. If a challan is erroneously generated, the recipient should challenge it within 15 days from the date of receiving the text alert on the mobile. Sources said a few months ago, the Union government amended the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, making it mandatory for electronic enforcement devices used for issuing challan to have an approval certificate signed by a designated authority that the device is accurate and operating properly. The device’s accuracy should be assessed every 12 months.
In this backdrop, the transport commissioner proposed to nominate an ADSP or ADCP rank officer to certify the devices. Currently, speed cameras, CCTV cameras, speed guns, body-wearable cameras, dashboard cameras, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems, weigh-in machines, and a few other devices are used to identify traffic offences.