Policemen collect fine from traffic violators in Patna. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Patna, Aug. 22: Come September, apply brakes on your instinct to speed on the city streets. Else, you might end up paying hefty fine ahead of the festive season.

The Patna traffic police have set a target of collecting minimum Rs 30 lakh as fine in September. Thus, anything silly on road would draw attention of the cops.

City superintendent of police (SP) Patna central Shivdeep Lande, who also holds the post of traffic SP, told The Telegraph: “There are total 30 sector in-charges of the traffic police wing. Each of them has been given a monthly target of Rs 50,000. Besides, the three deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) will have to collect Rs 1 lakh each. The station house officers will have to collect Rs 50,000 each. The five highway DSPs and five highway inspectors have been asked to collect fine from at least 25 vehicles daily. The minimum fine for flouting traffic norms on Mahatma Gandhi Setu will be Rs 1,000.”

Lande said cops could land in trouble if they fail to meet the target. The “non-performers” would face departmental inquiry.

“The police officers will be given three chances to meet the fine collection target. Department inquiry will be ordered against those failing in three consecutive months,” Lande said. With such a huge pressure of fine collection, penalising innocent people cannot be ruled out. But Lande said the cops had been advised not to harass commuters for the sake of meeting the fine collection target.

“The policemen have been advised not to collect any illegal fine from anyone. If this happens, action will be initiated against the errant cops,” Lande said.

The traffic policemen on the field differed from their boss, though. They said they would be under pressure of meeting the target. “Meeting the target of fine collection would involve a lot of hard work. We will be always under pressure,” a police officer said.

The decision to jack up the fine collection target of the traffic cops comes after the financial power of 114 policemen in the state capital lapsed. The Telegraph had reported it on August 10. The transport department immediately renewed their power to collect fine.

Lande said just Rs 18 lakh was collected as traffic fine in July, as more than 100 cops had lost their financial power to penalise traffic rule offenders. The dismal figure continued till mid-August.