Vehicles zoom way while laser guns lie in disuse

NALGONDA: The ‘speed laser guns’ sent by the State government to the district headquarters to catch vehicle drivers exceeding speed limits  proved to be useless. The guns are under repair for a long time and the officials are not showing any interest in getting them repaired, citing shortage of funds and staff.The State government sanctioned two speed laser guns to Nalgonda district, worth Rs 7.5 lakh. They were to be installed at vantage points on the state and national highways to nab speedsters. The guns are capable of targeting vehicles from a distance of 1.5 km. While one laser gun was handed over the Road Transport Authority (RTA), the other was given to the police. After making the laser guns operational amidst much fanfare in February 2008, the officials did not use them. They were kept aside within a couple of weeks for want of repairs. The officials are also not making any effort to get the guns repaired and use them properly to check speed driving and control accidents. While the Road Transport Authority officials are citing shortage of staff to crack the whip on speeding vehicles, the police are expressing inability to catch speeding vehicles saying that they were not adequately equipped like the RTA. Meanwhile, RTA officials say vehicle owners and drivers do not ‘respect’ them and there are cases of drunken drivers and vehicle owners attacking the officials. They feel that a special team of police and RTA officials might put an end to this menace.