Kolkata Police shares Whatsapp number to put cork on driving while talking on phone

Kolkata: In a bid to completely stop driving of vehicles while speaking over cell phone, Kolkata Police has shared a Whatsapp number, on which common people can send details and photographs of an offender.

A tweet by Kolkata Police read "If you see any driver using mobile phone while driving, especially in public transport, please Whatsapp details to 9903588888. Safe drive Save life."

It may be mentioned that 44 people were killed when a bus fell into a river from a bridge in Murshidabad on Monday. Investigation revealed that the driver was speaking over phone while driving the bus and it is considered to be the main reason behind the accident.

Subsequently, the state government has directed the police and other concerned bodies to take necessary steps to check such accidents in future. The state government has also decided to cancel the driving license of bus drivers if they are caught driving while speaking over cell phone. On Wednesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has instructed the Director General of Police Surajit Kar Purkayastha in this connection.

According to an officer of Kolkata Police, once the people start sending details and photographs of people found driving while speaking over phone, the police will start taking necessary legal steps. Once people come to know that action has been taken against those who violated the traffic norms, then automatically the practice will stop.

Meanwhile, the East Division of Kolkata Police has come into existence from Thursday. The new division comprises some police stations which were earlier under the jurisdiction of the South and South-East Divisions. Survey Park, Pragati Maidan, East Jadavpur, Panchasayar, Anandapur and Kolkata Leather Complex (KLC) police stations are under the jurisdiction of the East Division.

The new division has been set up and the decision was taken to further improve policing in the area. The KLC police station was earlier under West Bengal Police. Recently, the state government has decided to bring it under Kolkata Police.