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Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Over 10k FIRs registered in city in 2024 for rash driving
Mumbai: Over 10,000 first information reports (FIRs) for rash and negligent driving were registered across the city in 2024, a massive jump from 2023 when only 404 such FIRs were registered in different city police stations, based on complaints from the traffic police. According to data from the traffic police for the year 2024, 8,588 FIRs were registered under sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC); 582 FIRs were registered under IPC sections 279 and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others); and 1,628 FIRs were registered under IPC sections 279 and 338 (causing grievous hurt by an act which endangers human life). Joint commissioner of police Anil Kumbhare said following the registration of FIRs, driving licences of errant motorists were either suspended or cancelled depending on the nature of their offence. 'Rash driving continues to remain a major problem in certain parts of the city such as Sakinaka, Chakala, Powai, Nagpada, the Western Express Highway and Oshiwara,' Kumbhare said. The Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019 – which enables police to book motorists violating traffic rules under the Indian Penal Code – was notified by the state government in 2021. This law made rash driving, including driving on the wrong side, a non-compoundable offence and required offenders to appear in court as opposed to being fined on the spot. The penalty for wrong-side driving was fixed at ₹500-1,000 and/ or three months of imprisonment. Mumbai police started registering FIRs for rash driving in major way in 2022, when then police commissioner Sanjay Pande led the effort. Pande had directed police officers to register FIRs if motorists were found driving on the wrong side. Instruction were also issued to impound their vehicles and produce them before courts. While the practice continued after Pande's tenure and the number of FIRs for rash driving rose significantly, accidents involving wrong side and rash driving have not come down, said sources in the traffic police. Aside from registering FIRs, the traffic police penalised 6.5 million motorists in 2024 for violating traffic rules. Penalties worth ₹526 crore were imposed, of which only ₹157 crore was collected. The traffic police, through its 41 divisions and the multimedia department, penalised motorists under 26 categories of traffic violations, data from the traffic police showed. RTI activist Anil Galgali said the traffic police had done a satisfactory job but were unable to take effective action owing to a shortage of officers and staff. 'A special recovery drive is necessary to collect the pending fines from offenders,' he said. 'Digital notices must be issued to defaulting vehicle owners and vehicles of major defaulters must be seized.'
News18
06-05-2025
- News18
Over 28K Taxi, Auto Drivers In Mumbai Face Licence Suspensions Over Short Trip Refusals
Last Updated: The traffic police have initiated the process to suspend licences of more than 28,800 taxi and autorickshaw drivers for refusing to ferry passengers for short distance trips. The Mumbai Traffic Police have initiated the process to suspend the driving licences of over 28,800 taxi and autorickhaw drivers for refusing to take passengers on short-distance trips in Mumbai, officials said on Monday. The traffic police carried out a special drive against errant taxi and autorickshaw drivers from April 18 to May 2. During the drive under the supervision of JCP (traffic) Anil Kumbhare, as many as 48,417 taxi and auto rickshaw drivers were issued challans (penalty receipts) for different traffic violations, an official said as quoted by news agency PTI. These included taxi and autorickshaw drivers who were found plying vehicles without wearing proper uniforms or carrying valid permits, badges or registration documents. A section of these drivers included those who refused short-distance trips and carried more passengers than the designated capacity of their vehicles, he said. 28,814 challans were issued for refusal to ply, 1,164 for not wearing uniform, 6,268 for carrying more passengers than permitted, and 12,171 for other violations. A police officer said Rs 40.25 lakh was collected from them in fines. The process to suspend the driving licences of 28,814 taxi and autorickshaw drivers — specifically for denying short-distance fares — is now underway, the official added. First Published: May 06, 2025, 07:04 IST
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Ride refusal: 29k auto, taxi drivers face licence suspension
Mumbai: Over 48,000 auto and taxi drivers were issued challans over a fortnight for traffic rule violations , including refusal to ply, as part of a massive crackdown, said traffic police on Monday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The action came in the wake of a rash of complaints by commuters that despite a fare hike in Feb, a section of auto and taxi drivers has continued to refuse rides. As part of a special campaign from April 18-May 4, under the supervision of JCP (traffic) Anil Kumbhare, 28,814 challans were issued for refusal to ply, 1,164 for not wearing uniform, 6,268 for carrying more passengers than permitted, and 12,171 for other violations. A police officer said Rs 40.3 lakh was collected in fines. "The process of suspension of licences for 28,814 auto and taxi drivers for refusal to ply is ongoing at the RTO (regional transport office)," he said. The RTO, besides addressing police cases for suspension of licences, also conducted its own drive in the past few months. An official from the Andheri RTO said that in the western suburbs, 4,553 auto drivers were booked recently and prosecuted for various offences. This included 89 for refusals, eight drivers for demanding excess or inflated fares, 164 for ferrying passengers more than the authorised capacity of the vehicle, two for rigged meters, 11 for rude behaviour, and 4,285 for other offences, such as driving without proper uniform and/or badges and flouting Motor Vehicles Rules. Autos' minimum fare was hiked by Rs 3 to Rs 26 on Feb 1. Auto union leaders said they have cooperated with police and RTO in identifying illegal vehicles and those run by unscrupulous drivers without uniform and badges in several parts, including Jogeshwari, Andheri and Kurla. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Commuter rights activist Anil Galgali suggested that the transport department change the complaints redress mechanism. Instead of calling up commuters and taking a long time to register a complaint, the authorities should take quick action against errant drivers, he said.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Over 48,000 challans issued to taxi & auto drivers for violating traffic rules in Mumbai
MUMBAI: In a massive crackdown against auto and taxi drivers violating traffic rules, mainly refusal to ply , traffic police issued over 48,000 e-challans over a fortnight. A special campaign was carried out between April 18 and May 4 under the supervision of Joint Commissioner of Traffic, Anil Kumbhare. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Police said 28,814 challans were issued for refusal to ply, 1,164 challans for not wearing uniforms, 6,268 challans for carrying more passengers than permitted, and 12,171 challans for other violations. "We collected Rs 40.25 lakh in fines," a police officer said. The process of suspension of licences for 28,814 auto and taxi drivers for refusal to ply is ongoing at Regional Transport Offices (RTO).
Hindustan Times
28-04-2025
- Hindustan Times
Police to file FIRs, confiscate licence, impound vehicles to curb drunk driving
MUMBAI: The fivefold increase in fines for drunk driving has clearly not deterred city motorists if the numbers are anything to go by. The number of people apprehended while driving under the influence has quadrupled, prompting the Mumbai traffic police to start registering FIRs against drunk drivers, and taking steps to cancel their driving licenses and impound their vehicles. In 2023, the Mumbai traffic police nabbed 2,562 drunk drivers. Despite the fine for drunk driving going up from ₹2,000 to ₹10,000 for the first offence and ₹15,000 for subsequent offences, in 2024 the number of inebriated drivers caught by the Mumbai traffic police rose to 9,462, marking an almost fourfold increase over the previous year. 'We have observed that the penalty amount is not enough to deter drunk drivers, and therefore we have now started registering FIRs under the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Motor Vehicles Act and cancelling driving licenses as well,' said Anil Kumbhare, joint commissioner of police, traffic. Kumbhare said that 1,356 drivers were apprehended for drunk driving during the nakabandis across the city in the first three months of 2024. As the number was high, the traffic police intensified its focus on drunk driving, but in the first three months this year, the number increased to 2,264, prompting them to start registering FIRs. In a special drive in the first two weeks of April, the traffic police registered 103 FIRs against drunk drivers across the city. They also publicised their names on the traffic police social media account and referred their licenses to the Road Transport Department for cancellation. 'Now, we will start impounding the vehicles of those caught driving under the influence of alcohol,' said another traffic police officer. Earlier, offenders who had alcohol exceeding 30 mg per 100 ml of blood, measured through a breath analysis test, were required to pay a deposit of ₹2,000. A Local Act Case would be registered at the nearest police station, and the person would be directed to appear in court, which then decided on the punishment—mostly a fine. Now the FIR is registered against the offender under Section 125 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertains to the commission of an act that endangers the life or personal safety of others. 'If the reckless act causes simple hurt, the punishment includes imprisonment of up to three months or a fine of up to ₹2,500 or both,' said the second police officer. 'If the act results in serious injury, the penalties will be more severe. Additionally, Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act will also be slapped, leading to the seizure of the offender's driving license and confiscation of the vehicle.' Ajay Govale of the NGO United Way said that drunk driving was not a petty or small crime and had huge consequences. 'The registration of FIRs will create a hindrance for motorists in obtaining passports, visas, and police clearance certificates required for jobs,' he said. 'But this will work only if drivers realise that there is an increased probability of being caught and there is awareness of the actions of the traffic police.' Experts said that the action by the traffic police would act as a deterrent only if it was continuous. 'Enforcement is a major part of policing which should be done persistently and without prior intimation,' said Jagdeep Desai, traffic expert. 'In the early 2000s, due to strict police action and nakabandis, drivers were aware of the consequences. But lately, the enforcement has gone down, making drivers nonchalant—besides which they are aware of the checkpoints and timings of the nakabandis and know how to evade them.' Taking a cue from this, police officials said that they had now strategised nakabandis and kept shifting the checkpoints so that drunk drivers could not evade them. Harish Baijal, former deputy commissioner of Mumbai (traffic), who began the drive against drunk driving, quoted a dialogue from Schindler's List: 'Whoever saves one life, saves the entire world.' 'Every life is important,' he emphasised. 'This new stringent action was much needed, as the number of vehicles on the road and drivers are increasing.' Statistics compiled by the state traffic police department show that at least 133 people were killed in 126 accidents involving drunk driving in 2022. In 2023, 67 people lost their lives to the menace, which appears to be increasing though stringent measures are being put in place. As recently as April 3, a drunk CISF constable's reckless driving resulted in the death of a 55-year-old homemaker, Hazra Shaikh. Shaikh, who was returning home after celebrating Eid with relatives, was in an auto with her daughters Shaheen and Shirin and her four-year-old nephew Shifan when the constable, Dodhiram Yadav, crashed his office SUV into their auto in Goregaon. According to the police, Yadav was speeding and lost control of the vehicle, causing the SUV to jump the road divider and crash into the autorickshaw coming from the opposite direction. Although the CISF suspended Yadav soon after the incident, the traumatised Shaikh family said it wanted him to 'rot in jail'. 'There were no police check posts or any police presence on the roads though it was festival time,' said Jawed Shaikh, Hazra's brother. Shaheen said the festival turned into the worst day of their lives as they saw their grievously injured mother writhing in pain. 'We will have to suffer all our lives because of the CISF constable's negligence and his choice of getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol,' she said bitterly. 'I still cannot believe my mother is gone.'
