Only Rs 2.68 crore collected in traffic fines since March 4 rebate offer

BENGALURU: Four days after the state government announced extension of the rebate on traffic fines for 15 days from March 4, the response from vehicle owners seems to be tepid. Till Tuesday evening, the traffic police had collected only Rs 2.68 crore and disposed of about 93,000 traffic cases.

Following the huge response to the rebate last month, and demands from various quarters to extend the scheme, Special Commissioner (Traffic), Dr M A Saleem Karnataka Legal Services Authority chairman Justice B Veerappa had written to the government in this regard. After the rebate scheme closed on February 24, more than two crore traffic cases remain pending and more than Rs 800 crore in fines remains to be collected, Justice Veerappa had pointed out.

Soon after the government made the announcement in February, people in large numbers were seen at the Traffic Management Centre, traffic police stations and other designated centres to pay up fines. But ever since the rebate was announced on March 4, the traffic police are seeing a tepid response.

On March 4, Rs 86.46 lakh was collected as fine in 30,141 cases, followed by Rs 66.62 lakh in connection with 23,214 cases on March 5. The following day, Rs 86.75 lakh in was fines collected in 30,312 cases while Rs 28.32 lakh was collected and 9,865 cases disposed of by afternoon on March 7.