Traffic Offence

1.    Declaration

I hereby declare that this document is based on my personal experience of payment for traffic offence’s fine.

I request you to follow traffic rules all the time; and I hope you never need to use the below information. A contribution to KM, where author wishes no one reads what he has written!!!

2.    The background

Someone on some afternoon dropped a notice through the small opening in the door. I found the notice about two weeks later behind the shoe rack. The notice said I had violated the signal at some square (I could not figure out where that square is in Pune) on a Friday evening. That ‘Friday evening’ gives me some clue about the mentioned traffic offence. (don’t forget the news of people getting the notice wrongly because someone misinterpreted the vehicle number on the illegible/rusted/designer number plates, but my vehicle’s number place is readable.)

There have been news of electronic surveillance at select roads by traffic police to curb traffic violence. I never thought a notice will come to me ever.

3.    Nature of the notice

The notice mentions the vehicle number, chassis number, engine number, owner’s name and address, date and time of offence, nature of offence, place of offence and amount of fine.

There are details of whom to report to (without his address), working hours of that office and a note that there would be strict legal action if you don’t respond within one week of issuance of notice.

It instructs the owner of vehicle to carry the original papers of the vehicle and the driver of the vehicle at the time of offence.

4.    Expected action

You need to figure out the address of the authority from the seal stamped on the notice. (for those notice receivers with illegible seal, it is - 2, Sadhu Waswani road, Pune 1). The timings are 10am to 5 pm, except for Sundays.

You need to report to the officer, who sits in a room smaller than half of a cube in SDB3. Size of the room is no indicator of power vested in the officer. You need to produce license of the driver (and may be insurance paper, RC/TC book and the PUC) and the mentioned amount as fine.

5.    The payment

Though the amount of fine is mentioned to be Rs100/- (it must be dependent on the type of offence), the charge is more by Rs10/-. It is the notice fee. You will receive two separate receipts for fine and fee on the spot.

6.    Author’s note

It is pain to visit the place and pay for it, especially when there is a queue. Better, do not break any traffic rule. There are other and better reasons for not breaking traffic rules, of course.

At the time of payment, there was no mention of me overshooting one week’s period. There was no strict legal action.

Infosys is one of the sponsors for the software traffic authority has.

7.    A little relief

The office of the authority is at a place, such that you can plan for your weekend…JNucleus Mall, SGS Mall, Dorabjee’s, WestSide, Music world, Shoppers’ Stop, West End talkies and MG road are at a stone’s throw. Blue Nile hotel also can be seen from the traffic police’s office. For Laxmi Road, you may have to throw the stone twice, same stone please.

8.    Appendix ( the road map )