Ghaziabad police chief takes away head constables’ power to challan

In a significant shake-up of traffic enforcement practices, newly appointed Ghaziabad commissioner of police (CP) J Ravinder Goud has withdrawn challan-issuing powers from traffic head constables with immediate effect, redirecting them to focus solely on monitoring and regulating vehicular flow across the district.

The move comes in response to rising public complaints and concerns over misuse of powers and traffic mismanagement. “It was, in a sense, misuse of powers, and the public was feeling helpless due to high volumes of challans. Further, the traffic was also getting affected. This created public issues, and complaints were also received. So, it was decided that the power to issue challans by head constables should be withdrawn,” said Sacchidanand, additional DCP (Traffic).

According to officers, the head constables had been vested with fining powers as an additional responsibility, but their primary role of managing traffic flow was being neglected. They reportedly prioritised issuing fines over easing congestion, sometimes even stopping vehicles mid-road to generate penalties, traffic police officers added.

To be sure, under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, only traffic police officials of the rank of head constable or above are authorised to issue challans. While the new directive bars head constables from issuing challans, traffic police officers with a higher rank can still impose penalties for violations.

The entire traffic force will now be refocused on monitoring traffic under the supervision of sub-inspectors and inspectors. Gurugram is currently divided into six traffic zones, each headed by a traffic sub-inspector and supervised by ACPs and the ADCP. The traffic department has at its disposal 81 sub-inspectors, 240 head constables, and 312 constables, along with home guards and support staff.

Former Raj Nagar councillor Rajendra Tyagi welcomed the reform, calling it “a big relief to the public”. He said, “Issuing challans had become a priority, and these head constables even indulged in the practice of stopping vehicles on roads. There were also issues of misuse of power, and this even led to corrupt practices. The idea of issuing fines is to create a deterrent and not to generate revenue.”

Fresh directives on traffic during events and curbing encroachments 

In related directives, owners of banquet halls, marriage venues, and hotels have been asked to inform the police in advance about upcoming functions. “All will provide prior information about the functions/events, and this will be well in advance to the ADCP through mail. This will help us ensure availability of manpower and take up steps for ensuring smooth movement of traffic,” the ADCP said.

The department is also clamping down on encroachments such as illegal stalls, carts, and e-rickshaws on public land. Traffic sub-inspectors will now quietly collect photographic and video evidence of encroachments and submit it to the respective ACP’s office for legal action. These actions will be taken under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, officials said.

 New rules for cross-FIR registration 

In another key reform, CP Goud has also mandated a new protocol for registering cross-FIRs, which are often misused to intimidate the complainant party in legal disputes.

 “The cross-FIR application will now be enquired about by officials of a different circle. Upon submission of the report, an approval from the concerned DCP will be needed to register it,” said Rajesh Kumar, DCP of the city zone. He said the step was necessary because cross-FIRs were being used “as a tool to create pressure” and often undermined the position of the affected party.