Pune: From triple-seat rides and daredevil wrong-side sprints to booze-fuelled drives, one-way rebellions, signal defiance, cellphone-induced chaos and even audacious footpath invasions — traffic offences by motorists on city roads appear unending, showed the annual crime figures released by Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Monday.From Jan to Dec 23 this year, the city registered 19.87 lakh traffic violation cases, nearly matching the combined total for 2023 (10.92 lakh) and 2024 (11.86 lakh). Senior police officers attributed this spike to intensified enforcement, expanded special drives and increased use of digital surveillance and e-challan systems.Traffic activist Yesunand Francis D’souza told TOI, “Traffic violations are rising rapidly, and sometimes even police personnel break the rules. Thankfully, violations can be reported through the PTP (Pune Traffic Police) app.” As per the traffic police data, there are 56,000 active subscribers of the PTP app at present.Citizen activist Sunil Aiyer from Undri said, “The surge in violations isn’t surprising given the growing number of vehicles, while roads remain as narrow as before. Many drivers are unaware of traffic rules and penalties. Digital surveillance isn’t fully implemented across Pune’s jurisdiction. If it were, the numbers would be even higher. For instance, Undri still lacks CCTV coverage.”Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Himmat Jadhav said, “Enforcement alone cannot guarantee road safety as public cooperation is crucial. Violators will face legal action as per law. We urge citizens to follow traffic rules strictly.”GRAPHICPUNE’S TRAFFIC VIOLATIONSNo Entry/One-Way Violations: 5 lakh cases in 2025, up from 1.78 lakh in 2024 and 21,000 in 2023Wrong-Side Driving: 43,949 cases in 2025, up from 26,641 in 2024 and 14,431 in 2023Signal Jumping: 1.71 lakh challans in 2025, compared to 71,000 in 2024Footpath Driving: 9,600 offenders booked in 2025, up from 3,200 in 2024E-Challan System9.75 lakh e-challans remain unpaid of 18.72 lakh issuedThe traffic department collected Rs 54 crore in fines in 2025, up from Rs 46 crore in 2023 and Rs 49 crore in 2024 MSID:: 126234356 413 |
