There has been an 86 per cent drop in the number of challans issued for breaching speed limit in Chandigarh this year, say the records of the UT Traffic Police. This, incidentally, does not hint that 2009 has made speed-enthusiasts in Chandigarh less daring. In fact, the number of nakas to check fast driving is much less this year.

Last year, 12,229 challans were issued for speeding, till October 22 this year, the number is only 1,718.

Officials in the Traffic Police department say nakas to check speeding were a regular feature last year. “At times, there used to be three to four nakas every week to check speeding. This year, nakas are put up only on weekends to check drunken driving, from 8 pm to 11 pm. In many instances, during a three-hour operation, not even a single case of drunken driving is reported,” said the official.

The Traffic Police has also been lax in issuing challans for use of mobile phones during driving. Last year, the figure stood at 4,793. Till October 22, there have been only 2,924 challans —- a drop of almost 40 per cent.

Despite the emphasis of traffic police on wearing seat belt, the rule continues to be ignored. There have been only 4,371 challans for this offence till October 22 this year. Only 4,866 challans were issued this year for wrong parking; 9,113 challans for driving on high beam; 668 for using black film on windows; and 7,365 where the number plate was not visible or was obscured.

... contd.