Navi Mumbai man, who tracks rule violators with dashcam evidence "harassed" by BEST in a case of their driver jumping red light; Undertaking says, can't do much unless he appears during inquiry
Venkata Satish Guttia
Venkata Satish Guttia is in the throes of buyer's remorse. His heart says he has only been playing responsible citizen by reporting traffic violators, but "harassment" at the hands of BEST Undertaking after he reported an errant driver is making him question his choices.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 37-year-old resident of Koparkhairane, Navi Mumbai, who works as director of cyber security at a private firm, fitted a dashboard camera on his Maruti SX4 car in December 2014 to deter motorists from breaking traffic rules and report violators to the authorities concerned.
The dashcam footage shows the BEST bus at the Maitri Park signal in Chembur on September 1
Among the many traffic rule violators he claims to have reported since then, was a BEST driver who jumped a signal near Dharavi in April 2015. The driver was let off, after Guttia failed to turn up for a inquiry.
Damned if you do...
On September 1 this year, Guttia reported another driver for the same offence, this time at Diamond Garden in Chembur. "I sent BEST the relevant footage from the dashcam. The authorities asked me to present myself before them for an inquiry. What was I to do there? I lead a busy life. I have given them all the evidence they need against the driver. This is plain harassment. If I don't turn up, they'll again let the driver off the hook," complains Guttia.
The second grab shows bus crossing the red light at the signal
Drawing parallels with alleged police badgering that Good Samaritans in road accidents face, he says, "The police make them witnesses and get them to make repeated visits. It's the same when traffic violators are reported. The do-gooders give up."
H Gophane, public relation officer, BEST, confirmed that Guttia had been summoned. He said, "We have to cross verify the fact [what Guttia claims] in a departmental inquiry and want the complainant to be present at the time." According to Mumbai traffic police data, 530 BEST drivers were caught jumping traffic signals from January to May this year. This translates to about four violations a day. January marked the highest number (169) and May, the lowest (68).
Venkata Satish Guttia first got a dashcam fitted in his Maruti SX4 car in December 2014 to play it safe in case of road accidents. Pics/Sameer Sayed Abedi
Big Brother is watching you
Guttia came up with the idea of install the dashcam to play it safe in case of road accidents. "I'm a cautious driver. If a motorist were to crash into my car, I can use the footage from the dashcam to show that the accident was not my fault. My camera helps me record violations too," says Guttia.
He started off with reporting minor offenders to Navi Mumbai and Mumbai police. When the police reportedly began taking action based on the footage — by issuing challans to violators at their residences — he was encouraged to continue his streak. He began going after the biggies — drivers of school buses, the BEST and MSRTC buses as well as trucks.
He says the dashcam has also helped him prove his innocence. "A few months ago, I was pulled over by traffic policemen, who claimed that I had jumped the signal. I showed them the footage and proved
I had done no wrong." Guttia says he has inspired friends and relatives to invest in a dashcam — which costs upto R15,000 — as a safety measure, but he is now wondering what
the worth of the gadget is when it calls out traffic offenders if authorities will trap informers in red tape.
A BEST official, on condition of anonymity, said, "We must take the complaint seriously and accordingly take action against the concerned driver. According to the Motor Vehicle Act, we need to contact the complainant since the accused driver also has to make his case.
It's easy when the driver and complainant are face to face. Action can be taken against the offender accordingly."
530
No. of BEST drivers caught jumping signals in Mumbai from January to May, 2016
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
