IGP’s cashless drive halts at Traffic Lines!

Amit Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 9

At a time when the UT IGP is pressing the police force to make cashless transactions through various mobile applications in the wake of demonetisation, people visiting the Traffic Lines in Sector 29 to pay traffic fines are suffering in the absence of point of sale (POS) machines.

On December 6, UT IGP TS Luthra had briefed police officers regarding the use of mobile apps for cashless transactions. The IGP had directed the officers to motivate their staff to go cashless.

A local resident, who had come to pay a fine at the Traffic Lines, said it was surprising the Police Department was encouraging everyone to go cashless, but the challan branch did not have a POS machine. 

Daily, lakhs of rupees is collected as fine through traffic challans.

Raman, who accompanied his friend to pay a fine for jumping the red light, said his friend stood in a queue outside an ATM to withdraw money for paying the fine. “Had the POS facility been available to pay the fine, there wouldn’t have been any need to stand in a queue at the ATM,” he said.

Sources said due to demonetisation, lesser number of people were turning up to pay challans as they were short or cash.

Eish Singhal, SSP, Traffic, said a proposal for procuring the POS machine was under consideration. “We have tied up with a private bank for the POS machine and soon it will be installed at the Traffic Lines,” the SSP said.