WhatsApp number launched to report traffic violations in Vijayawada

Vijayawada: Public participation was very important to check traffic violations and fatal accidents, said transport minister Perni Venkata Ramaiah alias Nani. The minister inaugurated the citizen driven enforcement system and WhatsApp number here on Wednesday to check the road accidents and traffic violations with the help of people. Addressing on the occasion, Nani said it has become a normal to violate traffic rules and many people were losing their lives in the road accidents.

Launching the WhatsApp No 9542 800 800, he appealed to the people to take the photos of traffic violations committed by drivers and send them to the transport department. He said the name and number of the sender will be kept confidential. The transport department will collect penalty for the traffic violations with the help of photos sent through the WhatsApp number.

The minister said CC cameras had been installed in all the important junctions in the cities and towns but it would not be possible to keep a vigil on the roads round-the-clock.

Making it clear that the government had launched the mobile number for the safety of people and not for the sake of earning money, Nani said the department earns its revenue from the registration of vehicles and not through the penalties collected from the people. Transport commissioner P S R Anjaneyulu said initially the traffic department would take the responsibility of the maintenance of the number and later the work would be shared with the transport and the police department jointly.

He said the people could send the photos of overspeed, signal jumping, overloading, wrong parking, triple riding, wrong route driving and other violations.Principal secretary of transport department M T Krishna Babu, chairman and managing director of APSRTC N V Surendra Babu, commissioner of information department T Vijay Kumar Reddy and others attended the event.