Clicking selfies on the new JP Setu or riding there without a helmet comes at a price now.
The traffic police on Saturday came up with the idea of imposing a Rs 600 fine on anybody caught taking selfies on the bridge or riding without helmets. Four people have diedever since the bridge was opened to the public. The traffic police on Saturday started the "No Selfie" and "No Helmet No Ride" campaign on the bridge. Patna superintendent of police (traffic) P.K. Das and group commander of NCC (Patna group) Brigadier R.V. Singh led the campaign.
"Four deaths have been reported on the bridge in the past 20 days and this is alarming," Das told The Telegraph while monitoring traffic on JP Setu. "Though I have written to the road construction department, suggesting a few measures, I could not wait for long seeing the number of deaths and accidents. Two reasons are being blamed for accidents on the bridge - the selfie craze and riding without helmets. So I decided that till the department comes up with a plan, I could put an end to the risky practice of clicking selfies."
Eight major accidents have been reported on the bridge, but at least seven others went unreported. Traffic flow on the JP Setu has increased manifold ever since Gandhi Setu went into restructure mode with its western flank being closed. Traffic on JP Setu has also increased after the pontoon bridge parallel to Gandhi Setu was disassembled following the onset of monsoon.
The traffic police have put up posters on a barricade at the approach to the Setu warning commuters that they would be fined Rs 600 if caught without a helmet on the bridge. "JP Setu is two-laned. One is not allowed to stop vehicles on the bridge as there is no parking facility there," Patna traffic SP Das said. "So stopping of vehicles on the bridge will be treated as a violation of the Motor Vehicle Act, as there is no provision for taking selfies on the bridge."
The police have deployed 48 NCC volunteers (in three shifts) to regulate traffic on the bridge. Even Das spent nearly two-and-a-half hours along with the NCC brigadier.
The NCC volunteers had earlier done a good job during Chhath, Ravan Vadh and more recently Prakash Utsav celebrations in Patna.
Community policing has also been started on the Saran side, where the youth are regulating traffic voluntarily. Eight Quick Mobile teams are doing their round of the bridge to catch people trying to click selfies. According to sources, no one can escape from the bridge after taking a selfie as Quick Mobile teams are deployed at both ends and armed with wireless sets to sound their colleagues.
On the issue of helmets, Das said the traffic police would not allow anyone to enter the bridge without a helmet and the fine for flouting norms will be Rs 600. The fine would be higher if the rider is not found carrying other documents like on pollution (Rs 1,000), registration (Rs 5,000), insurance (Rs 1,000) and driving licence (Rs 500).
Selfie takers, too, will have to shell out Rs 600 as penalty.
Till 5pm on Saturday, 80 people were fined for the violations and around 100 returned as they did not have cash to pay as fine. "As it was the first day, we just let off those without cash with a warning," Das said. "From the next time, we will fine them if found without helmet on JP Setu." Normally, the traffic police fine people Rs 100 for not wearing helmets. On Saturday, Das was personally stopping bikers without helmet.
Vishal Kumar (22) of Digha was left off with a warning. "Thank God the SP did not force me to pay. Next time, I will surely wear my helmet not only on the bridge but everywhere," Vishal said.
