Commuters continue to battle congestion, traffic; transport apps miss deadlines

NOIDA: Two apps which were meant to be launched to smoothen traffic movement in the state remain delayed. Both the traffic police's information-sharing app and the "e-challan" app of the transport department that were being touted as major steps towards traffic management remain delayed.

Even as senior traffic police officials say that the app is in "final stages", they are tight-lipped about any deadline as of now.

On his visit to Noida in June, ADG (traffic) Anil Agarwal had said that the app would be launched on August 15 from Noida and it has gone to the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for integration of the "e-challan system".

The NIC has developed a national repository of the details of the vehicles and their owners and it was felt that the app could do better if the same could be included in the system of the traffic app as well.

NIC officials say that the integration has been completed and the app has been sent to the UP traffic police for the testing.

"The app will have a button on the interface which will direct the traffic police inspector or the sub inspector, etc to the e-challan system. Trials are on by the UP police, they are sending us the feedback," Vikrant Kumar, consultant for the e-challan project, NIC said.

SP (traffic), Lucknow, Abhishek Singh told TOI that the e-challan system has been integrated in the system and now the option of challan payment via the app has to be installed.

The traffic police's app was meant to synchronise traffic management in UP by giving regular updates about traffic diversions, alerts, etc to commuters travelling within the state from one city to another. The app aims at establishing a channel of communication between the traffic police and commuters to discuss traffic-related problems, suggestions or solutions and complaints. It also aims at sorting out complaints "in real time".

On the other hand, the UP transport department's e-challan app, which aims at helping transport officials to issue challans via a mobile is also running behind its schedule. While the Lucknow transport department has already collected around Rs. 14 lakhs by issuing challans via the app, the process has not yet begun in Noida.

NIC officials said that they are receiving feedback from the transport officials from the state and certain problems are being faced by them, since they not very tech-savvy.

"We are shifting a system which was till now being handled manually on the mobile version. Since, it is a new concept, it is taking a while for officials to grasp all its aspects," an NIC official said.

The app was to be launched in Noida and Lucknow and it was then planned that the project will be rolled out in other districts subsequently.


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