It's official. No Blackberry for handing out fines to offenders

Slick palmtops are all set to replace the age-old challan book in the hands of traffic cops in the city.

Rumour was rife that the cops would get Blackberry device for issuing e-challans to the violators. However, police sources confirmed to MiD DAY that orders have been placed for small hand-held computers called 'simters'. The machines would not only help issue e-challans but also maintain a database of previous offenders.
The machine is expected to reach the hands of traffic cops by as soon as April, the sources said.
According to a senior police officer, tenders have already been floated.

The palmtop machine would be connected to a GPS device in a nearby PCR van.

The machine would be of particular help to nail repeated offenders who don't mind shelling out money to cover their fetish for fancy number plates and over speeding.

"The machine will tell the cop who is issuing the challan whether the offender had done it in the past too. We can report the matter and take proper action against repeated offenders who don't fear the law," the police officer said.

Radar guns

And for those speed demons who drive on the city roads as if they were racetracks, radar guns would soon be added to the inventory of the traffic police.

In the next few months, new radar guns would be deployed to help catch those who over speed during night. The existing speed guns are not equipped to work in the night. The new device can measure the exact speed of a vehicle during night.

"Most of the people speed during night. But with the new guns we would be able to hunt them. It will considerably decrease the accidents during night," a police official said.

Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic) S N Srivastava was not available for comment.