Chakan Residents Question Targeted Traffic Penalties

Pune: In Chakan and its industrial area, stringent actions by the Chakan Traffic Department, Mhalunge Traffic Department, and Pimpri-Chinchwad Regional Transport Office against traffic violations have caused significant distress among citizens and workers.

Ordinary citizens and workers are often fined heavily, with some vehicle owners receiving penalties up to four thousand rupees in one instance. This has sparked outrage among the public, with some drivers accumulating fines up to twenty-five thousand rupees.

Residents of Chakan and nearby areas are questioning whether certain officers are targeting them intentionally. In the Chakan area, as well as the industrial zone, the roads are in poor condition, and traffic congestion has already troubled the residents and workers.

Additionally, the Chakan Traffic Department and the Mhalunge Traffic Department take photos of vehicles on mobile phones and impose fines. Actions are taken against drivers for reckless driving and drunk driving.

The Traffic Department, along with the Regional Transport Department, takes photos of vehicles and immediately fines the person. The receipt of the fine is sent to the vehicle owner's mobile phone. This action has left citizens, the common man, and workers distressed.

Sushil Kolhe shared his experience, saying, "I am a resident of Chakan, and I was traveling through Ambethan Chowk using an alternative route. Someone took photos of my vehicle. When I asked the person about it, they said they would delete the photos, and I wouldn’t be fined.

Around 8 PM, I received a message on my mobile stating a fine of four thousand rupees had been issued. If an ordinary person is affected by this, what should they do? I then inquired with the traffic department’s police officers and went to the police station.

It was revealed that the fine receipt was issued by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Regional Transport Department. It seemed the person from the Regional Transport Department was targeting several vehicles for photos. Illegal vehicles and rickshaws aren’t fined, but those who drive honestly are penalized, which is unjust."

Pimpri-Chinchwad Regional Transport Officer Sandesh Chavan stated, "I will review the receipt. If the action was taken by a transport department employee, I will find out the reason."