NEW DELHI: Those who do not pay their traffic e-challan (fine) amount within three months could soon find their driving licences suspended by law enforcement agencies, while those who have accumulated three challans – for jumping red signal or dangerous driving – in a financial year, could see their licences confiscated for at least three months.
These are part of a series of measures govt plans to implement to rein in errant drivers after it was found that there was barely 40% recovery of e-challan amounts and large-scale non-compliance. Sources said govt has also prepared a strategy to link higher insurance premiums, if one has at least two pending challans from the previous financial year.
The details have been worked out following a Supreme Court order directing 23 states and seven UTs to file compliance reports indicating the implementation of electronic monitoring as provided in Central Motor Vehicles Act. Section 136A of the Act specifies deployment of advanced technologies, such as speed and CCTV cameras, speed-guns, body-worn cameras and automatic number plate recognition systems, to ensure better traffic management and enforcement of traffic laws.
TOI has learnt that among the states and UTs where traffic rule violation cases are high, Delhi has the lowest rate of recovery of fines at barely 14%, followed by Karnataka (21%), Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh (27% each), and Odisha (29%). Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Haryana are among the major states that have recorded a recovery rate of 62%-76%.
Sources said there are several reasons why people don’t pay fines quickly. These include late challan alerts and faulty challans. They added that govt is going to come up with a comprehensive standard operating procedure, covering minimum specifications for cameras and for ensuring alerts about pending challans are repeatedly sent to vehicle owners or drivers every month, till payment is made.
