Mumbai:
Maharashtra traffic police may go hi-tech with BlackBerry mobile phones and Bluetooth printers to rein in traffic violators and also collect tax if the state Home Department acts on recommendations by the Estimates Committee.
The Estimates Committee report for 2010-11, released recently, recommended that the transport division of the Home Department to consider a proposal to start online payment of vehicle tax and registering traffic crimes online with the help of Blackberry mobiles on the lines of Karnataka Government.
The committee has also appreciated Pune traffic cops' efforts to start the online system last year.
"Considering fast changing techniques in today's modern world, the Department should give systems like Blackberry mobiles to the traffic cops for fast action and also increase revenue," the committee report said.
It has asked the Department secretary to prepare a proposal in this regard and bring it before the Cabinet Committee for final approval.
With initiative of Pune DCP (Traffic), Manoj Patil, the city traffic police are using BlackBerry to monitor rule violators, increase revenue through fines, identify stolen vehicles and exchange data.
However, officials from the Department said that the scheme would take some time before implementation.
"The police should have all the data about vehicles and vehicles' owners stored in the server before going online for tax and collecting fines. The transport offices are slowly going online and the scheme would be useful in future," the official said.
In the report further, the committee criticised the Department for not computerising a single toll naka (plaza) in last four years despite the budgetary provision of Rs 14 crore.
"The computerisation and modernisation scheme of 22 toll nakas was not implemented properly in last four years. The committee is upset not utilising the fund of Rs 14 crore sanctioned for it," it said.
The committee comprises of 29 MLAs and MLCs of the state Legislature and MLA Dilip Mohite as the chief of the committee.