HYDERABAD: The traffic police has begun insisting on immediate challan payments.
A techie from Kukatpally, who was ‘caught’ at PVNR Marg (Necklace Road), stated, “Police checked my vehicle number and forced me to cough up the pending challan amount of Rs 450. He warned me that he would seize my vehicle if I did not pay."
A woman motorist said she had an appointment with a doctor when the traffic police stopped her. “It was pouring heavily and we requested them to consider the circumstances and let me proceed. But they insisted on an immediate payment, making me wait in the rain."
Satya, a private employee from Yousufguda, said, "During heavy rainfall, roads are inundated with water leading to traffic jams and unsafe driving conditions. The police take advantage of the situation and click pictures and issue wrong parking and wrong side driving challans. Enforcing traffic rules is essential at this point in time to curb heavy traffic but threatening to issue challans or seize vehicles is not fair. This feels like they are just looking to extract money."
Radhika from Khairatabad narrating a similar experience said, "While I was rushing to my office, a constable stopped my vehicle for a challan check. Within seconds, he asked me to pay a pending amount of Rs 150. Despite explaining that I was already running late for work, he forced me to pay immediately. He threatened to seize my vehicle."
Civil rights activist Vinay Vangala urged the Hyderabad traffic police to adopt a more humane approach during the monsoon season.
“The traffic police are behaving as if we are deliberately avoiding paying challans. It is a similar situation in all three commissionerates. While they might have monthly targets to achieve, it is crucial for them to consider the weather conditions. Their primary responsibility is to issue fines for violations and regulate traffic to prevent jams and to create nuisance. Moreover, there are court orders in place to ensure that commuters are not unnecessarily disturbed to clear immediate challans.”
A top police official emphasised that citizens should clear their challans without waiting for reminders from the police. There are no specific locations and no daily targets for collecting challans, he clarified.
