NAVI MUMBAI: The state highway traffic patrol has fined 77 motorists Rs 1,000 each for overspeeding on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway over the past four days. In accordance with the new Motor Vehicles Act rules, their driving licences will be suspended for three months too. The drive started last Friday and the drivers were caught using speed guns.S S Pujari, state highway traffic patrol (SHTP) inspector, Panvel division, said, "Two speed guns are put to use-one at Palaspe and the other under Lodhivli bridge. Licence plate numbers of the overspeeding vehicles are sent to the SHTP staff deployed at Khalapur toll plaza through WhatsApp. SHTP staffers stop the vehicles and penalize them Rs 1,000, besides serving them a notice for suspension of licence through their respective RTO."Pujari said their units at Palaspe and Borghat detected 62 violations till Tuesday evening. "The notice with the copy of the driving licence will be sent to the Panvel RTO, which, in turn, will send onwards licence suspension recommendations to the concerned RTO."Pujari said, "Due to staff shortage, our personnel are able to catch around 50% of the overspeeding offenders, most of whom drive high-end cars and SUVs." He said after they began to seize licences, drivers got into verbal altercations with them. "This issue was taken up with the SP, Thane, who in turn had instructed us to keep copies of licences."Meanwhile, Dattatrey Gadhave, SHTP Pune division inspector, said, "Our drive was initiated on Monday. Cars are allowed to drive at 120kmph with a plus of five. However, those speeding at 126kmph or more are being penalized. One speed gun is used at Talegaon (73km) area whereas the penalty is collected at Urse toll plaza. Our team has caught 15 overspeeding drivers in two days."

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