Motor vehicles department inspectors tried it in Ernakulam last year

KOCHI: Much before government made social service mandatory as a penalty for major traffic violations, some motor vehicles department ( MVD ) inspectors had taken up the initiative in 2018 with the support of government hospitals in respective areas. In Ernakulam, traffic offenders are sent to the general hospital and in one year, the figure is 300 violators.

Officials suspend community service for a while when Nipah and communicable diseases increased. In Ernakulam, inspector Eldho Varghese took it up first. “I got the idea from books on traffic rules in foreign countries, where they send offenders to hospitals for community service. Traffic violations were on the rise and people readily pay fines. When we catch motorists, they casually ask the fine amount. The fine doesn’t dissuade them. they see people in distress, accident cases during community service and they understand the gravity of the violation,” said Varghese from Mananthavady.

If one does community service, his licence suspension can be reduced to one month from a year. Motorists, who jump signals, talk on pone while driving, drive speedily, overload their vehicles and those who shun helmets are told to community service after collecting a consent letter.

Joint RTO (Ernakulam) Manoj K felt it is a good plan. “Youngsters buy bikes by doing menial jobs and parents find it difficult to control them. Most rule violators are young. We ask them to spread awareness on community service on social media. This is a scientific method to rein in violations,” he said. Community servvice was done in Cherthala and Alappuzha.

“We put them in various wards since they don’t have expertise in medical field. We also send them to palliative care units. We send them to destitute, cancer and ortho wards, where they witness the plight of patients. We hope that this will open their eyes and bring a change in their mindset. When they return, they admit it changed them,” says Dr Cyriac, RMO at general hospital in Ernakulam.