Conduct vehicle checks under CCTV watch, use body-cams, JSR traffic cops told

B Sridhar | TNN

Jamshedpur: Traffic police personnel in Jamshedpur will now conduct vehicle checking drives in areas under CCTV surveillance. In locations where CCTVs are unavailable, cops have been mandated to carry out checks using body-worn cameras. The move, officials said, is aimed at ensuring transparency. Officials and personnel who do not comply with the directive will face disciplinary action.

“The move is aimed at ensuring complete transparency in roadside checking and reducing disputes. Traffic personnel must be in their uniforms while inspecting vehicle papers,” DSP Traffic Sriniraj Kumar said.

“These on-camera checks benefit everyone involved. The actions of both the police and the motorists will be recorded, leaving no room for false claims,” he said. Kumar further said the instructions are meant to eliminate complaints of alleged misconduct during verifications.

The order, police sources said, has been issued for the second time in the past 70 days after complaints of misbehaviour on part of traffic personnel during vehicle checks were made by motorists to elected representatives. The matter was also raised at the district development coordination and monitoring committee meeting on May 30, where Jamshedpur MP Bidyut Baran Mahto and local MLAs urged the department to ensure on-camera checking. The representatives said they regularly receive complaints about aggressive methods used during roadside inspections.

Nine incidents of misconduct on part of traffic cops have been reported in the past few weeks. In April, vehicle checking was suspended at five key points citing traffic jams caused by closely placed checkpoints.