The commissionerate police on Monday decided to use dronesto keep hawk’s eye on traffic violators, mostly those who violate lane driving rules & overtake at busy traffic junctions. Initially, the police will crack the whip on those, who overtake near traffic junctions between Airport Squareand Rabindra Mandap Square in Bhubaneswar.

“Our purpose is to streamline the lane driving & road discipline among motorists & bikers. We will take on those, who drive or ride in zigzag manner, causing utter chaos. Drones will detect those violators,” Commissioner of Police (CP) Sudhanshu Sarangi told. Sources said the Commissioner of Police (CP) is likely to issue an order soon to identify different stretches in the city as ‘no overtake’ zones.

Police said bike riders often resort to zigzag driving when green lights flash at traffic junctions. “In a bid to cross quickly before the flashing of the red signal, the bikers drive in serpentine manner & overtake light vehicles, causing accidents & chaos. We want to sensitize them that they shouldn't jump the lane & drive in disciplined manner,” Sarangi said.

Introduction of drone to tame unruly traffic violators comes in addition to existing Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras surveillance on road rule offenders in the capital city. Every day, at least 350 violators are being caught on Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras at AG Square, Master Canteen, Raj Mahal, Kalpana Square, Ram Mandir Square & Nalco Square.

Road users wonder whether the drones will solve the traffic issue in the city where the vehicle population stands at nearly 12 lakh. “We didn't see any change in improvement of lane driving despite enforcement activities & installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras. Let’s see how drones work. Overtaking, over-speeding & wrong driving are a cause for concern,” said Bijay Mishra, a senior citizen.

The capital city witnessed a rise in road deaths in 2018 compared to 2017. While 185 persons died in accidents in Bhubaneswar in 2017, the casualty shot to 226 last year. Bulk of the deaths was reported on the national highway-16 in the city.

Significantly, the state govt is planning to impose hefty penalty from Sept 1 on violators under the amended motor vehicles (amendment) bill 2019. Bike riders, who now pay Rs 100 fine for not wearing helmet, will hence cough up Rs 1,000 under the amended law. Driving without licence may cost Rs 5,000 fine whereas drunk drivers will pay Rs 10,000 fine.

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