Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 15: In a significant action to check rampant corruption prevailing in the Traffic Police Department, authorities conducted night long surprise checking on parts of Jammu-Pathankote and Jammu-Srinagar National Highways and found a Deputy Superintendent of Police, three Inspectors and two constables collecting money openly from commercial vehicles.
The DySP, who was Incharge of Udhampur-Reasi range and two constables have been attached to Traffic Police Headquarters while all three Inspectors have been shifted to Kashmir.
“We have written to Police Headquarters for initiating disciplinary action against all six officials trapped taking corruption in the night hours. A detailed report has been submitted to the Police Headquarters”, a senior Traffic Police official told the Excelsior.
After six Traffic Police officials were trapped in the midnight raids harassing commercial vehicles, the Traffic Police Department has decided to disband some of the pickets from the highways and directed the Traffic Police personnel to keep focus on regulation of traffic, the official said.
He added that the Police Headquarters and Traffic Police Department had been receiving reports that corruption in Traffic Police had been rampant and some of the officials were engaged in the ‘loot’ day and night.
On the initiative of senior officials from Police Headquarters and Traffic Police authorities, the senior officials conducted surprise raids in civvies during night hours from Lakhanpur to Jawahar Tunnel involving both National Highways of Jammu-Pathankote and Jammu-Srinagar.
The Traffic officials said the DySP, three Inspectors (DTIs) and two constables were found red handed collecting money from the commercial vehicles plying on the National Highways at different places.
The very next day, Traffic Police Headquarters issued the orders for attachment of the DySP and two constables to the Traffic Headquarters and shifted three Inspectors from Jammu zone to Kashmir range.
The Traffic Police officials, however, admitted that this was not the punishment they deserved and said the further action against the accused officials has been left to the Police Headquarters.
“We have submitted the report to Police Headquarters with out remarks including the amount recovered from the accused officials. The attachments or transfers were not the kind of punishment the officials deserved. They needed severe punishment, which only the Police Headquarters can give”, the official said, adding the Police Headquarters was expected to come up with action against the accused shortly.
Meanwhile, the Traffic Police authorities have directed that most of the Traffic Check Posts would be disbanded on the National Highways especially during the night and the Traffic Police personnel posted there were being directed to engaged in traffic regulation.
“Our prime task is to regulate traffic and we will do that. Checking of vehicles is secondary task and that would also be performed. However, the Traffic Police officials were required to be extra cautious as they too could be searched at any time”, the official said.
Meanwhile, when approached for comments, DIG Traffic Shakeel Beig confirmed the action taken against the DySP, three Inspectors and two constables after searches and said further action against them would be taken by the Police Headquarters. He admitted that the matter has been brought to the notice of Police Headquarters for further action.
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