Patna, Jan. 6: The traffic police have consistently generated profits in 2010, says the state transport department’s annual report.

The Patna traffic police, one of the highest revenue generators in terms of fines, do not have a budget of their own. Neither do they get a cut or a percentage of the revenue they collect like their counterparts in metropolitan cities.

The result is that the policemen manning the traffic are devoid of the much-needed human and material resources, considered very important to keep the force functioning in a proper way.

If one goes by the figures, the traffic police collected more than Rs 1.80 crore between January and November last year in the form of fines and penalties. The figure of the total fines collected in the month of December is still to be added.

A senior traffic police officer said the whole money is deposited in 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. The money is deposited to the DTO first from where it goes to the transport department. In cities like Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore, fines collected remain with the traffic police and they use it for modernisation purposes. These cities have senior police officers in the rank of commissioner just for the traffic system. Here there are no magisterial powers,” the officer said.

At present, the traffic police are struggling when it comes to human resources. Then, there is a lack of basic equipment needed to control the traffic situation in the city.

Of the 53 sanctioned posts for traffic sub-inspectors, the number is just four at the moment. There are three posts sanctioned for sergeants, but the traffic police at present do not have any.

Of the 76 havildars required, the police have got only 32. Moreover, there are 33 sanctioned posts for assistant sub-inspectors, but the police are managing with just 20 of them. Similarly, of the 660 sanctioned posts for constables, only 340 are filled up at present.

The police are managing things with some home guards to fill up the gap at present.

Recently, superintendent of traffic police Ajit Kumar Sinha had stated the traffic police are the mirror of policing anywhere as people coming to the town come face to face with them first.

“A proposal has been sent to the state government for earmarking of a definite budget for the traffic police. Things are moving and we are hopeful of an approval for the same,” another traffic police officer said.

The policemen are deal- ing with a lack of basic equipment too.

“We don’t have breath analysers and inhalers needed to check alcohol consumption during driving. Then there is a need of speed guns and speed detectors also. A number of discussions about catching speeding bikers have been held but the speed guns are yet to arrive. We need visible jackets for constables working during the night, coloured beams, road dividers, barriers and nylon ropes. The revenue we manage to collect every year is in crores. The traffic police have to be made strong infrastructure-wise,” the officer said.