The Maharashtra government has approached the central government with a proposal to directly link e-challan fines with the bank accounts of violators. This comes as a solution to clear the INR 2,429 crore unpaid fines from over 42.89 million e-challans issued since January 2019.
The state's transport department has suggested that linking the e-challans to drivers' bank accounts could help with fine recovery.
They propose that each time a driver refills his Fastag or pays for annual motor insurance, a portion of the fines could be automatically deducted. This system would require the central government's approval due to the banking regulations.
When e-challan systems were first implemented, traffic police utilised handheld devices and CCTV networks to fine motorists for various offences such as speeding, lane cutting, and signal jumping. Despite these, only 35% of the assessed fines have been collected. This totals to INR 1,339 crore out of a total of INR 3,768 crore.
Most of the unpaid fines are attributed to private vehicle owners, whereas fines from public transport vehicles are generally settled when their permits are renewed annually.
However, political and electoral considerations have also affected the fines. For example, the issuance of 4 lakh challans on the 25-km ghat section of the Mumbai-Pune motorway was suspended around the time of the recent Lok Sabha elections and is deferred until after the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in October.
This pause was introduced despite the high accident rates on this stretch, which were targeted by a surveillance camera-linked initiative launched on March 12 to enforce traffic laws and enhance safety. The distribution of these challans has been delayed to avoid potential public unrest during the election period.