A wheel lock on a scooter in Patna. File picture

Think twice before violating traffic rules.

Traffic police have divided the city into five segments, equipping each with a dedicated force for management.

Patna traffic superintendent of police (SP) P.K. Das told The Telegraph on Monday: “Our aim would be to catch traffic violators and fine them heavily to teach them a lesson and dissuade them from repeating offences.”

Sources said if a vehicle is towed away for wrong parking, the violator might have to pay as much as Rs 5,000 in fine.

“Everyday, the city witnesses a lot of traffic violations, mostly wrong parking and driving in wrong lanes. We have divided urban Patna into five segments, each of which would be manned by dedicated groups fully equipped with modern gadgets such as wheel locks, breathalysers and a wrecker. The action would be smooth and fast. The plan would be off the ground in two days,” said Das.

The area around Gandhi Maidan, Fraser Road, Exhibition Road, Dakbungalow Road and Patna Junction could come under one segment.

“Wrong parking is one of the biggest problems in Patna in which people do not care about the law and park anywhere they please, leading to traffic jams. We understand the lack of parking spaces in the city but that doesn’t give people the licence to break laws. In Delhi too, parking lots are less, forcing people to walk long to reach their destinations after parking their vehicles at the designated places. We must emulate that. We do not intend to fine people but violators must face the music,” the SP said.

A dedicated wrecker for each segment would definitely push up the collection of fines.

“We have taken private wreckers on hire on a daily basis. The wrecker charges would be taken from the violators apart from the fines. We expect commuters to abide by laws in the face of frequent checks on every street. We want to sensitise commuters on traffic rules through posters and banners,” said superintendent of police (traffic) Das.

On April 3, former Patna traffic superintendent of police Rajeev Mishra had launched a drive to take tough action against vehicles found wrongly parked in congested areas apart from the normal fine.

Under this, the photographs of such vehicles had to be clicked and sent to the DTO for cancellation of their licences. Since then, the police claimed to have sent many proposals to the DTO.

An official at the DTO’s office said even special drive was started to make people realise the seriousness of wrong parking.

A majority of errant drivers, when caught, either deals with the officer somehow or pay the fine. But the prospect of licence cancellation is serious. The police think if some licences are cancelled, drivers would start taking things seriously, the official added.

In many cities across the country, wheel locks have been found as a tool to rein in the habitual offenders of parking vehicles, especially cars, at wrong places and on arterial congested roads.