Traffic Woes in Belagavi: Rising Violations and Fatalities

Belagavi, one of Karnataka’s rapidly expanding cities, is grappling with severe traffic congestion. Despite implementing a one-way system on ten major roads under the North and South Traffic Police limits, adherence to rules remains a challenge. Alarmingly, around 105 fatalities occur annually due to traffic violations.

The rising number of vehicles has worsened traffic flow, leading authorities to designate one-way routes at Pimpalkatta, Nehru Nagar Second and Third Cross, Ganapati Galli, Kirloskar Road, Ramadev Galli, Tilakwadi D Mart Marg, and Anasurkar Galli. However, a lack of traffic signals and on-duty personnel has led to frequent rule-breaking.

Over the past three years, traffic violations have caused more than 315 deaths, with major reasons being helmet non-compliance, overspeeding, and one-way breaches. In 2023, 900 cases were booked, yielding fines of ₹3.9 lakh. By 2024, this surged to 2,500 cases with ₹10.9 lakh collected in penalties. Within the first two months of this year alone, 300 violations have been recorded, accumulating fines of ₹1.1 lakh.

Local residents, including Prakash from Nehru Nagar and Santosh from Pangul Galli, have raised concerns over narrow roads and encroachment by vendors, further aggravating traffic chaos. DCP Niranjan Raje Urs emphasized the need for stricter enforcement and public awareness, stating that a movement is being planned to educate vehicle owners.

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