E-challaning starts, repeat offenders will pay more now

NEW DELHI: If you have already been issued a traffic challan for a serious offence, get set to pay more for a “subsequent offence” if you get stopped again. Delhi traffic police have launched the much-anticipated pilot project e-challan system in several parts of south and central Delhi. This Rs 14 crore project is expected to revolutionize booking of traffic offenders and will do away with the old challan books.
Sources told TOI the project has been started at the Kalkaji, Mehrauli, Lajpat Nagar, Parliament House and Chanakyapuri traffic circles. Around 152 handheld e-challan devices are being used by traffic personnel in these areas to issue challans, while 85 other devices are being used for training traffic officials. “On Sunday, 540 challans were issued using these handheld e-devices,” said a senior traffic police officer.
Senior traffic police officials said the trial for the e-challan system has been successful and they expect all 1,200 devices to be handed over to them by mid-July. The e-challan system will be a major leap for traffic police as it takes into account earlier challans issued against the offending vehicle or the driver and a challan is issued accordingly. As a result, challans for serious offences like drunk driving and dangerous driving will be drastically higher for repeat offenders. Traffic cops will be armed with pocketbook-sized mini computers attached with a camera and a printer. The camera will be able to take pictures of the defaulter which will act as documentary evidence, said traffic officials. These e-challan devices will be connected to a central server where details will be saved for future reference.
The money collected from challans will be constantly monitored and an updated record of offences will be available, said traffic officials. These devices will also be GPS-enabled in their final phase. The devices will also be able to swipe credit cards to make payment easier. However, this facility will only become operational once the e-payment gateway is finalized.