Traffic violations go unchecked in Jammu

The observance of traffic weeks or seminars and events on traffic are hardly serving the purpose as people continue to violate traffic rules in the winter capital with impunity. Traffic lights have been installed at various locations in the city to streamline the traffic, but jumping of red light by the motorists has become a common sight.
The traffic lights were inaugurated in the city on August 4, 2012 by the then Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand. The traffic light project was undertaken by the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) at a cost of Rs 250 lakh.
Traffic lights were installed at all those locations which were witnessing heavy traffic in the city. These included Jewel Chowk, Canal Road, Panama Chowk, Shakuntala Chowk, Rehari, Green Belt, Gandhi Nagar and Panama Chowk.
Though the lights at some of the points have stopped functioning due to technical errors and are still to be repaired, but even at the locations where the signals are functioning people continue to ignore them. Many traffic awareness weeks were organised by the Traffic Police Department, but of no avail as there seems to be no traffic sense prevailing among the motorists.
The gravity of the problem of traffic violations can be well gauged from the data available on the number of challans issued. Around 63,000 two-wheeler riders were challaned in 2015 for not wearing helmets and for triple-riding under a special drive launched by the traffic police./As many as 62,883 two-wheeler riders were challaned for not wearing helmets and for triple-riding. 6,751 were challaned for not wearing seatbelt. A total of 55,243 persons were challaned for using mobile phones, 946 for speeding, 13,558 for overloading and 7,548 for other offences like jumping red lights, etc.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Traffic, Jammu, Mohan Lal said the department had taken stringent measures to tighten noose around traffic violators.
“The department has recently launched a drive against traffic violators by seizing their licences. Most of the people in the winter capital are abiding by the traffic rules but at the same time there are some who violate traffic rules by not wearing helmets and jumping red lights and they do it deliberately”, the SSP, Traffic, claimed.