Slamming traffic violation crackdown like ‘saas’ picking fault with ‘bahu’: Goa DGP

Panaji, Feb 4 (IANS) Goa's top cop Mukthesh Chander on Monday compared the popular outrage against a controversial volunteer-driven scheme to penalise traffic violators to a North Indian mother-in-law's constant bickering about her daughter-in-law.

Addressing a road safety week programme in Ponda town, the state Director General of Police (DGP) said that instead of slamming the Goa Police 'Traffic Sentinel Scheme', those who are opposing it should instead pass a resolution to make it legal to drive a two-wheeler without wearing a helmet.

"The blame is placed on the sentinel scheme and not on those who do not wear helmets. In North India there is a saying... I do not know if the saying is used here, but in North India it is common. Mothers-in-law have a habit of picking faults in their daughters-in-law," Chander said.

"Once there was a very nice daughter-in-law, very compliant. She would do all the work. A woman once asked her mother-in-law, 'Amma how is your daughter-in-law?'. The mother-in-law replied 'She is nice. But when she kneads dough, she keeps moving'," the DGP added.

Chander said, that if "the heads of Goans are made of iron", then they should pass a resolution in the Assembly and not in a municipality withdrawing the law which makes helmet-wearing compulsory for two-wheeler riders.

"If the heads of Goans are made of iron, then pass a resolution, not in the Ponda municipality, but in the state assembly, that the law will not be implemented in Goa. From that day on we will stop implementing the law. But we are applying law as it exists. And for your own safety," Chander said.

The 'Traffic Sentinel Scheme' launched by the Goa Police last year, rewards citizens with as much as Rs 1,000 for every 100 reward points generated by them by photographing traffic violations using a specially designed app and sending it to the traffic police.

During the recently concluded budget session, both the ruling as well as the opposition MLAs lambasted the scheme, which they say has encouraged people to spy on one another and report on even minor traffic violations and led to several assaults on traffic sentinel volunteers.

Chander said that the scheme had managed to cut down the rate of accidents in the coastal state, where nearly six persons died every week due to road accidents.

"From 333 (deaths) in 2017, in 2018 it came down to 262. A 21 per cent to 22 per cent reduction. There were 71 deaths less," Chander said.