Kolkata Police gets Rs 47 crore from one-time traffic fine settlement scheme

Kolkata: Kolkata Police have received approximately Rs 47 crore from the one-time traffic fine settlement scheme which ended on February 13 this year. The scheme was in operation since December 1 last year.

According to sources, the actual compounding amount of the pending cases was nearly Rs 300 crore. As lakhs of traffic cases were pending since 2003-04, Kolkata Police had decided to introduce a scheme to dispose of the cases and realise fine amounts as fast as possible. After a detailed discussion, it was decided to introduce the scheme in two phases.

According to a senior Kolkata Police official, they had assumed that the realisation amount would cross Rs 30 crore. But no one expected that the amount would reach close to a staggering Rs 50 crore.

After completion of the scheme, it was noticed that approximately 1.19 lakh cases were disposed of. The actual amount of the disposed of cases was approximately Rs 128 crore.

The maximum amount was received during the first phase where the defaulters had paid only 35 percent of the actual fine amount. In the second and final phase, the defaulters had paid 50 percent of the actual fine amount.

Sources informed that several vehicle owners have sold their cars but the details of present owners have not been changed. Therefore, the present owners did not show willingness to clear the cases as the vehicle still remained in the name of previous owners.

Also, several commercial vehicles completing 15 years' tenure have been discarded. As the vehicles do not exist anymore, the owners of such vehicles were not keen to clear the pending traffic cases.

Questions were raised as to how a 15-year-old vehicle could be discarded without a 'No Objection Certificate (NOC)' from the competent authority. Otherwise, the realisation amount could have been higher.

According to sources, police will intimate the concerned courts about those who have not responded to the offered scheme. The police may appeal for necessary action against them in the concerned courts as well.