Using speed cameras, the state highway police have recovered ₹8 crore as fines from motorists near the Swaminarayan temple on the Pune-Bangalore highway’s Nawale bridge during the last seven months. Following several accidents, including fatalities, cops have been penalising the speed-violating vehicles near the stretch.
Deenananth Dhuri, an activist and concerned citizen, sought information from the Director General of the Police’s office in Mumbai. According to the information provided, the camera was installed on June 10, 2022, and over the course of seven months, as many as 1.80 lakh violators were sent challans worth ₹36 crores, with 41,171 of them paying their fines. According to available information, ₹8 crores were recovered.
“What is the use of this camera when the number of accidents is not decreasing?” activist Ramesh Ghuge asked. “The government authorities have placed the camera almost on the slope, and drivers approaching the CCTV camera are unaware of its presence. The warning board is also very close to the camera, making it difficult to identify it from a distance, resulting in unintentional violations and citizens being forced to pay through the nose,” he added. In November 2022, a major accident on the steep slope of the Pune-Bangalore highway damaged up to 48 vehicles.
