The Mumbai Traffic Police launched a special crackdown on wrong-side driving on Thursday. According to the traffic police, the campaign will last at least two weeks.
The action was announced in response to a flood of social media complaints about wrong side driving on arterial roads and byways.
The state government notified the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act in 2021, making driving on the wrong side a non-compoundable offence. This means that offenders must appear in court and cannot be fined on the spot.
Wrong side driving in Mumbai
Mumbai drivers are infamous for driving on the wrong side of the road. Earlier in March last year, an anti-wrong-side driving campaign was started by then Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey, who had asked officials to take action against motorists for wrong-side driving and to take abandoned vehicles off roads.
Several FIRs were registered against violators. The practice, however, slowed down after Pandey's retirement.
Areas where wrong side driving is rampant include Sakinaka, Chakala, Powai, Nagpada, among other places.
