Mumbai police have upgraded themselves in a big way by introducing a CCTV based e-challan system in the city. This will put Mumbai on map with elite cities that use the service, such as Kolkata and Bengaluru.
In the initial stage, there will be an installation of 4167 CCTV cameras across the city to capture traffic violations. The violation includes speeding, talking on the phone while driving, breaking the signal and more. These offences will be reported to the central unit with the description and nature of the crime.
The violator will be sent an SMS with all the details as well in English and Marathi. There will be a link to pay the fine as well online in a cashless manner.
"There is no need for you to look for a traffic constable at a junction before breaking traffic rules. Our cameras will anyway click you in the act," Mumbai Police chief Dattatray Padsalgikar told Indian Express.
Mumbai police will have a central repository of all the data to check for the repeated offenders.
"If a motorist commits more than four offences, we will request the RTO to suspend the licence. For repeat offenders and those who fail to pay fines, the police personnel will trace and initiate appropriate action against such offenders," said Milind Bharambe, joint commissioner of police, Traffic.
In another announcement, Mumbai Police launched its new app which will give live updates to users based on the traffic in specific areas. The users can also report traffic violations through the app.
It has also included a hydraulic van in the fleet to tow vehicles such as SUV and Luxury cars without causing any damage to the vehicle.
Earlier this year the department had also tied up with Uber to install breathalyzers across the city in the bars.