The Vijayawada Police Department has added Ford's EcoSport compact SUV to their fleet of vehicles.

The EcoSports are likely to be used as highway patrol vehicles. To chase and intercept law-breakers, this little SUV is powered by a 1.5 litre diesel motor which churns out 90 bhp of power and 204 Nm of torque. Dynamically too, the EcoSport is far superior than the current line up of vehicles used by the department such as Boleros, Taveras and the like. Also, it seems that the variant selected by the Police Department is the Trend variant which comes with ABS! Good choice.

The article in MotorBeam also indicates that approximately 200 units of the Toyota Innova and Ford EcoSport have been ordered by the AP Government for the police.

The Ford EcoSport has been averaging sales of approximately 4,600 units over the last 12 months. The lack of any direct competitor and its unique positioning are two key factors behind its success. It is available with a choice of 2 petrol engines and a diesel option.

Do read our article where we had mentioned how the Gujarat Police added a few Harley Davidson motorcycles to escort VIP guests during the Gujarat Summit. Finally, modern vehicles are being added to our Police Department fleet apart from the utilitarian vehicles which have been doing their duty since years.

The Ahmedabad Police have come up with a new initiative to promote road safety in the city. Vehicle users found following traffic rules on a regular basis are rewarded with one litre of petrol.

58 people in the Ramol area were rewarded with one litre of petrol each for following traffic rules. The police confirmed that they were carrying all the necessary documents such as Vehicle Registration Certificate and Driving Licence. They also check that those driving cars were wearing seatbelts and those riding two-wheelers were wearing helmets. This initiative has received good response from the people and the police plan to carry it out at least 3 times a week from 8 am to 8 pm.

Rakhial Police Station had launched a similar drive in the city gifting coupons of local eateries to those obeying traffic rules.

These are great initiatives to get the people to follow traffic rules. However, why is it that such measures need to be taken to get people to obey rules? Is it not everyone's responsibility?

Source: IBN

Punekars can now enjoy the convenience of a real time traffic app for their android smartphones. Pune city traffic police department launched this app on Wednesday, designed for more efficient circulation of traffic related information for the app users. The citizens have to download the special code for the app, after which they can enjoy its benefits.

Like Bangalore's Traffic Portal, this app can help the users to take pictures of traffic violators/ reckless drivers and share them with authorities; they will also receive alerts on traffic jams, which can be very useful during emergency situations. What is more, is that this app can connect to a GPS enabled server which can help the user for navigation and more importantly, it can also provide co-ordinates of a stolen vehicle as well.

Mr. Vishwas Pandhare, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) has stated that they will ensure that the software is updated at appropriate times to keep the users of the app informed about the traffic conditions.

This app will not only help residents of Pune but also those who will be traveling to the state. Let us hope that the Pune traffic police ensure the smooth functioning of this app and they take action against those offenders who the citizens report via this app. Perhaps then, the traffic conditions in Pune improve.

Key features of this app are:
1. Fines for violation
2. Live Traffic
3. Frequently Asked Questions
4. Vehicle Towing Location.
5. Public Notice
6. Feedback
7. Road Safety Patrol
8. Road Safety Tips
9. Pune Police Information
10. Emergency Contacts
11. Pune Traffic Police Department Information
12. Location of nearest Police Stations.
13. Useful Website Links
14. Auto Fare
15. Photo and Video Gallery
16. Traffic Signage

You can download this app by clicking here.

Source

A new programme has been launched in Mumbai that encourages Mumbaikars to report harassment, molestation or stalking of women. 

India OYE (Open Your Eyes) is an effort by the alumni of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, with support from the Mumbai police to reduce instances of harassment and molestation.

At present, a pilot phase of this project is underway in the Mumbai East area,  including Chembur, Deonar, Govandi, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Mankhurd, Trombay, RCF, Mulund, Shivajinagar, Kanjurmarg (to name a few regions that fall under Mumbai East).

IndiaOYE seekes to enable citizens to report and contribute towards building a safety map of places they live in and surrounding areas. The safety map would help the Police in highlighting areas that require police attention. 

Here is how it works:

• You Submit the Report via web/ sms/ phone apps/ email/ twitter/ facebook etc.
• The staff verifies the report by contacting you via Mobile No. / email ID (Your mobile no./email ID is only for verification and is kept confidential)
• Your report is uploaded on the India OYE portal as a red spot on a map indicating the exact location of the incident.
• Mumbai Police acknowledges the reports and initiates appropriate action.
• A feedback of the action initiated is updated on the India OYE portal under your report.

Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) has sought the help of the Police to crackdown on fake online recruitment scams, promising jobs with the company.

MSIL has already filed an FIR with the economic offences wing of the Delhi Police for a crackdown on such frauds.

There have been a rising number of complaints from the public over fake recruitment mails & advertisements on the Internet.

The company has issued public notices in various newspapers, websites and other forums.

In a PTI flash, Maruti has said that an FIR has been filed by the company earlier this month. "These fraudsters are back demanding money (Rs. 12,000 - 16,000) to be deposited in various accounts of SBI, ICICI, HDFC, AXIS Banks etc. MSIL does not have any concern with any of them".

The fake recruitment scam has spread across the country and targets gullible persons who are not able to see through the fake emails. 

Maruti Suzuki does not charge any money for recruitment and, in fact, pays travel and daily allowances to selected candidates when they have to travel for interviews. Hence, one needs to immediately be cautious when they receive mails demanding money for jobs at Maruti. 

The Tribune carried a story in November last year stating that around 500 complaints had been received over the last 2 years, regarding these fake job offers. The scamsters have used a fraudulent description called "Maruti Suzuki Direct Recruitment Offer” to dupe prospective job seekers. The newspaper mentioned that recipients had been asked to pay an amount of Rs 15,200 as security deposit before appearing for the job interview.

The CBI conducted raids in Chennai this week to nab dealers & car owners who imported foreign cars without paying the requisite custom duties.   

The raids in Chennai have already seen the seizure of 33 automobiles; more are expected. Earlier raids of a similar nature have seen politicians, businessmen, industrialists and actors having to cough up pending duties after receiving notices by the customs department. 

HT's Mint reports that the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has asked the Customs department for help in this matter. The two agencies will co-ordinate to locate and seize foreign luxury cars that have been illegally imported into India. The DRI has already seized 82 luxury cars and identified many more such cases. 

How the fraud is committed:

• Using forged documents to evade duty
• Misuse of the transfer of residence facility which provides concessions to folk returning from abroad (after staying there for a period of at least two years)
• Backdating the car's year of manufacture, thereby paying lower duties 
• Using the Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) scheme to evade taxes. Cars are imported under the EPCG scheme and then sold off in the local market

Only last month, the government raised the import duty on luxury automobiles by another 25%.