Karnataka police plan for immediate SMS alerts for traffic violations

The measure is aimed at increasing traffic rule compliance by creating an immediate deterrence effect and potentially reduce traffic violations by increasing vehicle users’ awareness.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Traffic and Road Safety wing of the state police are planning to introduce an immediate text message mechanism to alert motorists as soon as they have committed a traffic violation.

Mysuru city and the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, where AI-based Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras are being deployed, will be pushed first to have this system integrated on the back-end by the end of March, Alok Kumar, Additional Director General of Police, Traffic and Road Safety, Karnataka, told DH.

“Messages will go to the mobile number linked to the vehicle registration numbers that are detected on cameras," he said, adding that they plan to implement this in ANPR projects in cities such as Hubbali-Dharwad, Mangaluru, Belagavi and Davangere soon.

This is an attempt to increase traffic rule compliance by creating an immediate deterrence effect and potentially reduce traffic violations by increasing vehicle users’ awareness.

This is also a part of the police’s efforts to go completely paperless in the traffic fine issuing process -- which Alok Kumar claims makes Karnataka the first state to do so -- and increase transparency of all transactions made.

A total of 1,766 e-challan devices have been deployed in 722 law and order police stations and 64 traffic police stations outside Bengaluru for e-challaning. Orders have been placed to procure 483 body cameras already, with another 250 body cameras in the pipeline, he noted.

“Cash payments for traffic fines will be the last preference. Currently, people can pay via UPI, debit and credit cards, and can pay via cash only if these options cannot be accessed due to some reason," he said.

In case of physical drives, all authorised officers must compulsorily wear a bodycam or stand at junctions where they are under camera surveillance so everything is recorded, explained Kumar.

The police are also working with the Department of Treasuries to create a link to route all payments directly to the government. The link is expected to be generated within the next 10 days.

Once the system is up and running, police also plan to do away with all challan books by March 1.

However, a senior police official from Bengaluru explained why this would not work in Bengaluru.

"Discrepancies in Vahan data means that vehicle registration numbers are not linked to current owners' details and they might not be the violators themselves. Besides, even if a violation is detected, it must be validated by human beings because AI cannot be 100 per cent accurate," the officer said.