A traffic police officer stops a motorcycle-rider for riding without helmet in Cuttack on Friday. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, July 20: Think twice before riding your motorcycle without a driving licence. Traffic cops have launched a drive to check such violations in the city.

More than 13 violators were caught driving two-wheelers without licence today. All of them were fined Rs 500 following the provisions of the Odisha Urban Police Act.

“This drive is a part of our regular enforcement to check traffic violations that have become rampant here,” said a senior traffic official.

Sources said the drive was targeted to desist teenagers, especially school students, who are seen commuting on motorbikes. Many young adults are also caught driving two-wheelers without valid licence.

Traffic officials said on an average, around 50 persons were fined every month for driving in the city without a licence.

While 31 commuters were fined for driving without a two-wheeler licence last month, 34 persons were fined in May. The total fine collected in these two months stood at Rs 12,000 and 8,400 respectively.

Besides driving without a licence, the traffic officials are also penalising motorcycle-riders for over-speeding, drunken driving, using multi-tone horns, violating traffic signals and riding with more than one person on the pillion.

“The traffic cops are now rigorously checking driving licences, which will infuse a certain degree of discipline among riders. The licence also acts as an identity proof in case of emergencies,” said Kartik Shah, a commuter.

Records at the regional transport office indicated that there had been a steep rise in the number of two-wheeler registrations in the city. Of the total 49,480 vehicles, about 30,000 two-wheelers were registered in 2011 alone.

Two-wheelers constitute bulk of the total number of vehicle registrations as nearly 15,000 two-wheelers have been registered out of the total 26,915 vehicle registrations till July this year.

However, many people have also blamed that the delay in issuance of driving licences by officials of the regional transport office “force” them to drive without a valid licence.

“Usually, it takes more than 15 days to obtain a valid licence. This creates problems especially for those who have purchased new vehicles,” said Anant Moharana, a resident of Seikh Bazar.

On the other hand, a transport official has refuted allegations of delay in issuance of the licence claiming that applicants are provided with learners’ licence within three days of submitting their application.

“It takes time for issuing a driving licence mostly because of the delay in printing for the smart chip. However, applicants are issued with a valid driving licence within three to four days of applying,” said motor vehicles inspector Pradip Kumar Mohanty.