Rising cases of accidents have forced Goa police to resort to taking photographs of traffic violators on the roads. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Jivba Dalvi, an increasing number of people were flouting traffic rules by not wearing helmets, not wearing seat belts, etc. and this initiative has been started by police in mufti.
"Whenever people see policemen in uniform, they either speed away or take another route to escape punishment. So police in plain clothes have started taking pictures on the streets to crack down on violators," Dalvi said. He said that fatalities and major head injuries can be prevented by wearing helmets by the riders.
Dalvi has deployed policemen in plain clothes at all police stations in Mapusa sub-division jurisdiction (Mapusa, Anjuna and Colvale police station) and clicked around 145 people violating traffic rules. He said that the photographs of violators are reported to the traffic cell for further action.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday, February 21, said that three departments of his government were taking measures to reduce road accidents, which have been on the rise for the last month. Sawant said that drunk driving, not following traffic rules and overtaking were the main reasons behind the accidents taking place. "Compared to other states the proportion of vehicles per population is more in Goa. People should cooperate with our departments to reduce accidents. They should follow traffic rules," Sawant said.
"The Traffic Cell, Transport department and PWD are holding regular meetings to implement the measures to reduce road accidents," Sawant said.