Traffic cop glare on number plates - Twin high-visibility drives in Sakchi & Jugsalai to curb crime on wheels

Traffic policemen nab bikers near Jugsalai thana for driving without helmet (above) and for not having registration plate (right) in the front of the vehicle on Tuesday. (Bhola Prasad)

Jamshedpur traffic police on Tuesday launched yet another crackdown on bikes without properly visible registration numbers to curb crime on two wheels.

The drive, which was carried out in Sakchi and Jugsalai police station areas from noon to 3pm, was ordered by East Singhbhum SSP Amol V. Homkar. It also aimed to check spurt in bike thefts.

Around 35 bikes that did not display numbers clearly in the front and rear were seized near Jugsalai police station.

In the Sakchi crackdown, 30 vehicles were seized for the same offence.

Each errant biker had to pay a fine of Rs 500, after which vehicles were seized.

Usually, youths do not write the registration number on the front side of the vehicles as per rules laid out by Regional Transport Authority. Instead, many front plates often sport names of gods or quotations.

Speaking to The Telegraph, traffic DSP Rakesh Mohan Sinha said the five traffic police stations at Jugsalai, Mango, Sakchi, Bistupur and Golmuri had been directed to seize vehicles without proper display of numbers.

Also, routine drives against bikers not wearing helmets would carry on simultaneously, the traffic DSP added.

“The drive has already started at Jugsalai and Sakchi and will begin at the remaining areas from Wednesday. The directive has been issued because it is difficult to trace criminals on bikes that do not display the registration number clearly on the front. Usually, by the time the police identifies fleeing criminals, they are out of bounds,” reasoned the traffic DSP.

The traffic DSP also said that from Tuesday they would crack down on bikes using red and blue on number plates.

“The number plates with red and blue background mark them as police vehicles and are often used to evade checking drives. Now, we will not spare them. Even police personnel are not authorised to use such registration number plates on personal vehicles,” said the traffic DSP.

Often relatives of policemen are also spotted using red and blue registration number plates, a practice that needed to stop immediately, he said.