Seven vehicle owners booked for riding on the Beach Road

Traffic police on Wednesday started a crackdown on those violating the order that made the Beach Road a no-vehicle zone area.

Traffic police on Wednesday started a crackdown on those entering the Beach Road on vehicles, violating the order that made the stretch a no-vehicle zone area.

Cases were registered against owners of six cars and a two-wheeler under sections 179 (1) and 198 of the Motor Vehicles Act for disobeying the orders. They had been fined ₹2,000 under both the sections, Inspector,Traffic, L.V. Senthil Kumar told The Hindu.

The entire Beach Road was made a no-vehicle zone area around three years ago for tourists to have easy and safe access to the Beach Promenade. Around 19 entry points to the Beach Road had been barricaded. However, it had become a practice for some motorists to violate the rule. They removed the barricades and drove through the stretch, endangering the life of people.

“Mostly, such violations are done by tourists, but locals, too, do it sometimes. Though police chase them away, they come back. Maybe, police should keep the barricades in such a way that it cannot be removed easily,” said a shop owner on the Beach Road.

The Traffic police said with the limited manpower at their disposal, it would be difficult to deploy personnel at all entry and exit points. “We will increase the frequency of patrolling and will come down heavily on those violating the rules. People should also cooperate with the orders issued by the government,” said Mr. Kumar.