Patna, Dec. 17: Patna police have once again crossed the two-crore mark. In the past 11 months, traffic police and city cops have together fined over 60,000 rash drivers and collected Rs 2.02 crore.

The income, however, will not benefit the police department in any way as the fines collected for traffic violations are deposited with the transport department.

The police are not entitled to use the amount despite their personnel sweating it out on city roads to regulate the traffic chaos.

This is for the second time in eight years that Patna police have crossed the Rs 2 crore mark in collecting fines. The collection for the month of December will be calculated after the year ends.

According to the figures provided by the traffic department, till November, fines collected for different traffic offences rested at Rs 2,02,03,200.

In 2008, the Patna traffic police had collected total fine of Rs 2,41,34,800.

“With the figures for December yet to arrive, we may cross the 2008 figures and make a new record. Things have become stricter in the past two months with the police bent on ensuring that there are no traffic violations. Campaigns have been launched to ensure that motorists use helmets while driving. Also they have been instructed to carry all vehicle papers,” a police officer told The Telegraph on condition of anonymity.

The officer said all the money is deposited to the office of the District Transport Officer (DTO) from where it goes to the transport department.

“We don’t get a share of anything that we collect. In the metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, the fines collected for traffic violations remain with the traffic police and they use it for upgrading the force,” the officer said.

Police sources said the traffic wing of the police was short-staffed and they had been forced to hire a lot of people from the home guards to do the job.

Sources said that the total vacant posts in traffic police, which include all ranks, rest around 600.

“Calculating the exact figure will take time, but the total number of sanctioned posts is around 730 of which about 255 are presently occupied. The sanctioned posts for home guards are 400 and we have 349 jawans working for us,” another officer said.