No fines for traffic offences in Surat; here is why

To give temporary respite to people Facing financial hardship due to the coronavirus and resultant lockdown, the Surat city traffic police have decided to not collect fines from people violating rules and instead focus on awareness campaign for 21 days, an official said on Monday.

A 21-day "I Follow" campaign will be launched by the Surat traffic police from July 7 wherein the focus will be on awareness regarding traffic rules rather than enforcement, DCP (Traffic) Prashant Sumbe told reporters here.

Nobody will be fined for violating the traffic rules during this period, he said.

People found following traffic rules will be appreciated by the police, while offenders will be explained about the importance of adhering to road safety norms, the DCP said.

The campaign will also be run on various social media handles of the traffic police to create awareness among people, he said.

"People have suffered financial loss due to the coronavirus pandemic, and we have already reduced traffic enforcement to 25-30 per cent compared to normal days.

"Since people are facing economic hardship, as per the government policy, we have decided to pay more attention to awareness rather than enforcement. Hence, we have planned to launch a 21-day campaign this month called 'I Follow'," Sumbe said.

"As part of the campaign, we will appreciate people following the traffic rules at various junctions in the city.

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"Offenders will be explained about the importance of following the traffic rules in various ways without collecting fines from them. We shall be able to make them follow the traffic rules by creating awareness," he said.