On a file plodding like a tortoise from Lalbazar to Writers’ Buildings, and often retreating into a shell, rests the city’s hopes of safer streets.

The Calcutta police proposals to make the penal structure for traffic rule violations more stringent have spent 30 months trying to cross the road from idea to implementation.

Days after 21 people died in Calcutta’s worst road accident in recent times, when Metro tried to dig out the crime-andpunishment file, it became clear that the police and the transport department were not on the same page.

On March 4, the file was sent a second time to the home department — the first one sent two-and-a-half years ago was declared lost — with a letter stating that the police were “in the dark about the latest position” of the proposals and urging that the “law department be moved for necessary action”.

But state transport secretary Sumanta Choudhury said on Tuesday that action on the police proposals had already been taken.

“We have studied the proposals and sent the file to the Union government. The matter has been referred to a select committee of Parliament for necessary action. Usually, it takes time for such changes to happen,” stated Choudhury, refusing to elaborate on when the file was forwarded.

Lalbazar appears clueless about the snail mail having reached Delhi via the transport department.

“We have sought a clarification to find out the status of the proposals. Such matters do take time but we would at least like to know about the fate of the file,” said Ranvir Kumar, the joint commissioner of police (traffic).

The proposed punitive measures to help bring down the road-rule flout count include:

Fine for jaywalking, up from Rs 50 to Rs 250

Fine for use of cellphone while driving, up from Rs 100 to Rs 500

Fine for failing to obey automatic traffic signal, up from Rs 100 to Rs 500

Fine for blowing the horn in silence zone, up from Rs 100 to Rs 500

Fine for failing to produce licence, up from Rs 100 to Rs 1,000

Fine for driving with disqualified licence, up from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000

Fine for driving in a manner dangerous to the people, up from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 (jail term 24 months instead of six months)

Fine for employing unlicensed driver, up from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 (jail term six months instead of three months).

“The punitive measures for traffic violations in the city are too soft. Deterrence is the one weapon we must hit the offenders with where it hurts,” said a retired traffic cop.

The police proposals have been doing the rounds from November 2005, initiated by then police commissioner Prasun Mukherjee and now being chased up by top cop Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti.

With the file still in transit, the road accident count in Calcutta is rising steadily.