Fast and furious: Mumbai Police switches to a new electronic challan system

Mumbai Police has switched to a new electronic challan system, which uses cameras placed at important spots to identify traffic violations. The cameras capture the vehicle’s number and sends a challan to the address of the owner describing the nature of the violation. The system works smoothly on stationary vehicles, but falls short when it comes to detecting speeding ones. Discussing the shortcomings of the new system, a senior police official said an e-challan got issued recently to a car-owner for not wearing a helmet as the cameras failed to capture the bike number accurately.

Absent veteran

Former Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna was imported by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the Congress with much fanfare. The BJP had hoped Krishna’s entry would not only help the party reach out to urban voters — given his image as somebody who helped the IT industry — but also to the caste, Krishna hails from, the Vokkaligas. However, Krishna has largely kept to himself in the last few weeks. He has refused to campaign for the BJP, and will not be in Bengaluru on Tuesday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to start his public meetings. Krishna’s aides say the leader isn’t keeping well and needs to take care of his health.

Fearing BJP-like prohibition

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Sangh Parivar are known for their cadres who spread the message of the party efficiently. However, the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have not traditionally had a strong network in Karnataka, which has given the Congress an open field to extract some sweet revenge. It isn’t uncommon for villagers in the Mysuru and Mandya belt, particularly younger men, to tell you that the BJP, if it were to form the government in Karnataka, might stop the sale of alcohol and meat as it has done in Gujarat. While Gujarat has had the prohibition for over six decades, a movement to espouse vegetarianism has taken roots in Bengaluru.