Hyderabad: Facing criticism from citizens for focusing on challans instead of easing traffic congestion, the Hyderabad Traffic Police have released details of a special enforcement drive conducted last week.
The police carried out a three-hour intensive operation at one of the city’s busiest junctions, Moazzam Jahi Market, during which more than 6,000 traffic violation cases were registered. The campaign aimed to enforce road safety rules and create awareness about responsible driving among commuters.
According to police officials, most violations were related to using mobile phones while driving, watching videos during travel, dialing numbers while the vehicle was in motion, rash driving, and riding without helmets. Police noted that such behaviour not only endangers the violator but also puts the lives of other road users at risk.
Officials said around 15,000 motorists were found violating rules during the one-day citywide operation. “If we monitored round-the-clock and enforced laws strictly, almost every vehicle could face 10 to 20 penalties,” a senior officer remarked.
Reliable sources in the department said the city witnesses over 20,000 challans every day, with two-wheelers accounting for the majority of cases. The most common offences include riding without helmets and wrong-side driving.
According to statistics released by the Traffic Police, Hyderabad has around 90 lakh registered vehicles, with nearly 40 lakh vehicles commuting daily. In the past nine months alone, over 1 crore challans were issued for 10 major violations, including:
No Helmet: 30,51,145 cases
Wrong-side Driving: 4,83,781 cases
Over Speeding: 1,94,815 cases
Signal Jumping: 1,20,265 cases
Triple Riding: 1,33,927 cases
Cellphone Use While Driving: 76,472 cases
Drunk Driving: 36,130 cases
No Seatbelt: 31,108 cases
Overloading (Passengers): 8,650 cases
Underage Driving: 6,976 cases
Joint Transport Commissioner C. Ramesh said the department’s enforcement efforts are meant to promote responsible behaviour among motorists. “If citizens follow traffic rules as part of their social responsibility, the police would not have to impose penalties,” he added.
Dealers and auto industry representatives noted that heavy enforcement during the festive season has increased compliance but also led to long queues at major junctions.
Despite criticism that the police are more focused on challans than on managing congestion, officials maintain that strict enforcement is necessary to ensure road safety in a city where the number of vehicles continues to rise rapidly.
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