4 months ago
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The Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) collected a whopping ₹258.16 crore successful fines successful 2025, the highest magnitude successful the past decade, mostly attributed to the 50% rebate strategy that was offered doubly during the year. However, neither the constabulary nor activistic groups are successful favour of the scheme, arguing that specified concessions person an indirect antagonistic interaction connected roadworthy information successful the agelong run.
According to the data, BTP’s good postulation roseate by 204.03% to ₹258.16 crore successful 2025, from ₹84.91 crore successful 2024. Data shows that ₹134 crore was collected during the rebate strategy windows rolled retired successful 2025 by the Karnataka government.
A elder constabulary serviceman argued that the rebate strategy not lone discourages commuters from pursuing postulation rules, but is besides unfair to those who diligently wage fines for their violations.
“The full intent of imposing fines is not to capable the treasury, though it is simply a root of income, but to subject lawbreakers. Rebate schemes decision the superior intent of instilling seriousness among commuters and preventing regularisation violations,” the serviceman said.
Road safety
Pravar Chaudhary of Bengawalk, a originative bureau that tells stories astir urbanisation, echoed akin concerns, adding that roadworthy information is apt to beryllium affected arsenic radical whitethorn beryllium encouraged to interruption rules.
Police officials authorities that Bengaluru witnesses excessive awesome jumping, speeding, wrong-side driving, and riding without helmet, each of which airs a nonstop menace to roadworthy safety. Such rebate schemes, they argue, further embolden violators, particularly during highest hours erstwhile pedestrian question is high. They besides constituent retired that enforcement becomes much hard erstwhile violations increase, peculiarly arsenic the BTP is grappling with a shortage of manpower.
Not wearing helmet
Data shows that not wearing a helmet was the astir violated regularisation successful 2025, accounting for 45.14% of the full cases. The metropolis recorded 225 pedestrian deaths successful 2025, underscoring the grim authorities of roadworthy information successful Bengaluru.
“Generally, radical travel rules due to the fact that they fearfulness fines and constabulary action, not needfully due to the fact that of roadworthy information awareness. Rebate schemes, successful a way, erase that existing fear,” different elder serviceman said.
The serviceman pointed retired that Karnataka already has comparatively little fines nether the IMV Act compared with different States, and the rebate strategy further reduces them, diluting the seriousness with which radical presumption roadworthy safety.
A postulation inspector revealed that galore violators person repeatedly avoided paying fines by claiming they would bash truthful during the rebate period. Two elder officers confirmed this trend, stating that it became rampant by mid-2025.
Necessity of scheme
However, different elder serviceman from the South part noted that BTP books a ample fig of contactless cases, making good postulation a herculean task. Dedicated teams person to beryllium formed to retrieve fines, which successful crook reduces manpower disposable for postulation regulation.
“People bash not instrumentality notices and online challans seriously, and constabulary officers cannot travel up connected each case. In that sense, the rebate strategy helps successful collecting fines from aged cases,” helium said.
Rajkumar Dugar of Citizens for Citizens views the strategy arsenic an effectual mode to retrieve outstanding fines and make income for the section but said it should not beryllium implemented repeatedly, arsenic that would undermine the halfway intent of policing.
Complacent
Data besides shows that repeatedly rolling retired the strategy makes violators complacent astir paying fines. When the authorities introduced the concession for the archetypal time, BTP collected ₹106 crore, but this dropped sharply to ₹28 crore erstwhile the strategy was rolled retired the 2nd time.
