A day after Sanjay Pandey, the new police commissioner of Mumbai, held a Facebook Live for the citizens of Mumbai, and informed that those found driving wrong side will not be asked to pay fines, but will be directly booked for rash driving, the Mumbai Police registered 36 First Information Report (FIRs) on Monday.
In a tweet on Monday morning, the new top cop said, "Our efforts yesterday #removekhatara had 226 removed. #wrongsidedriving driving enthusiasts saw 36 cases registered. Look forward to more work today and hope #bikers take note. Grateful to #mumbaikars for support."
The police also removed 226 abandoned vehicles from the road, which will only help decongest the city streets for a smooth movement of vehicular traffic. The 36 violators caught for wrong side driving were booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Motor Vehicle Act for rash driving.
The city police on Monday also penalised 563 people for wrong side entry on one-way roads, 2,047 people were fined for violating parking norms, while 658 people were caught driving cars without wearing the seat belt, an official said.
Besides, 2,864 two-wheeler riders were penalised for not wearing helmets and seven motorists, including auto-rickshaw drivers, faced action for driving without permit, he said. The most offences of one way driving were recorded in the western suburbs, 251, of which 87 were in Kandivali itself. South Mumbai ranked second with 130 offences of one way driving, followed by 103 in eastern suburbs and 80 in central suburbs, said a traffic police official.
Previously, offences such as wrong side driving, lane cutting etc., attracted a fine of ₹200, however, the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, notified by the state government with a few tweaks last year, had made these offences non-compoundable, which means that the offenders may have to appear before court.
The top cop said that if a motorist is found driving on the wrong side, the violator will not only be booked and arrested, but they will also be produced before the court and their vehicle will be impounded.
During a public interaction on Facebook live on Sunday, Pandey had said, "The violator not only poses a threat to themself but also to the pedestrians and other motorists. Be prepared for a long haul if one is caught violating the rules."
