Fact Check: Did Hyderabad Police Commissioner cap four-wheeler speed

The message had further mentioned that e-challan of Rs 1035 will automatically be generated if the speed limit exceeds especially at the following traffic areas.

1. Kukatpally JNTU circle

2. Hi-tech city X roads

3. Jubilee Hills Check post

Fact Check

WhatsApp message is False.

In order to confirm this viral message, we contacted the Hyderabad Traffic Inspector KPV Raju.

He confirmed that the viral WhatsApp message is False. No such notification or announcement has been made by the Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad. Any such changes in the rules will be notified to the general public.

We did not find any such information on any of the official websites and social media handles of the Hyderabad City Police.

The next step was to verify claims about e-challan. We found the official website of Hyderabad Traffic Police Road rules under the Motor Vehicle (MV) Act. Under M.V.Act 184 (b), driving dangerously at high speed, rash & negligent driving or to driving posing a threat to lives of other people, a fine of Rs 1000 for two, three, and four vehicles shall be imposed.

However, a report by The News Minute had stated that while the base fine for over speeding/dangerous driving is Rs 1,000, along with user charges, each fine comes up to Rs 1,035.

We also found a challan of overspeeding shared by a local.

We then noticed that the first two areas; Kukatpally JNTU circle and Hi-tech city X road mentioned in the viral message belong to the Cyberabad Commissionerate, while Jubilee Hills check post comes under the Hyderabad Police Commissionerate.

However, we did not find any reports that would claim that the speed limit of all four-wheelers should be 40 kmph in all GHMC limits.

Meanwhile, according to the Times of India report on May 3, 2019: "The Union ministry of road transport and highways in April 2018 fixed 70 km per hour for M1 category passenger vehicles that have less than eight seats (cars), 60 kmph for motorcycles and 50 kmph for autos as speed limits on roads in municipal limits."

Quoting Hyderabad additional commissioner of police (traffic) Anil Kumar, it said: "Traffic police took initiative and collected information on proposed speed limits by the engineering wings of all the departments and handed it over to the transport department. After citizens raised the issue on Twitter, we have again requested the transport department. Currently, we fine only those who are driving above 50 kmph."

Evidently, the viral WhatsApp message is False. No such announcement was made by the Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad. There are no reports or official statements that would prove the claim that the speed limit for four-wheelers is 40 kmph.