Inaugurated with fanfare, e-challan facility yet to start

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 19

Inaugurated with much fanfare on Independence Day earlier this year, the e-challan facility is yet to start in the city due to the delay in getting the equipments.

While inaugurating the e-challan service at a control room set up at Hanuman Chowk, then IGP, Bathinda Range, MF Farooqui had said though the facility had been initiated, a 15-day sensitisation drive would be carried out before issuing e-challans to traffic violators and Bathinda had become the first city in the state to have the e-challan facility. Though around two months have elapsed, the facility has not been started.

Bathinda SSP Nanak Singh said the facility had not been started yet as they had ordered POS and which they would receive in 10 days, after which e-challans would be started.

Under the e-challan facility, the police will be able to send e-challans to traffic rule violators with the help of high-resolution CCTV cameras. The e-challan system is the process of sending challans to the violator’s home after an optical camera captures the picture of the vehicle of the violator.

Once the e-challan is issued, it is mandatory to pay the fine mentioned on it before the due date. It has to be paid within 15 days. If a person breaks more rules and has pending e-challans, his driving licence will be confiscated and he will not be able to drive the vehicle anymore.

The e-challan system will facilitate the creation of data-base of traffic violators which will be recorded in the central data bank and the quantum of penalty will be increased for repeating the offence.

Even senior officials concerned will be able to keep a vigil and remain in touch with happenings on the ground through these cameras. The system will ensure better safety for motorists as well as pedestrians, besides enabling the smooth flow of traffic, reducing accidents and promoting a culture of compliance of traffic rules as 83 per cent accidents in the state are attributed to human error.

The fully automated systems, from violation-capturing till issuance of an e-challan, are aimed at strengthening enforcement, bringing transparency, promoting adherence to traffic rules and instilling a sense of discipline among motorists.