WhatsApp Traffic Challans to Require Payment Within 45 Days
Authorities plan to streamline traffic enforcement through digital challans, giving vehicle owners a fixed period to pay fines or challenge penalties through official government platforms.
Traffic violation notices are set to become more digital and transparent as authorities move toward delivering challans directly through WhatsApp and other electronic platforms. Under the proposed system, vehicle owners will have a maximum of 45 days to either pay the fine or challenge it through official channels.
The state is preparing to migrate its existing challan mechanism to the central government’s Sarathi and Vahan platforms within the next six months. The transition is aimed at creating a more uniform and technology driven enforcement system across the country.
According to the new framework, electronic challans must be delivered within three days of a traffic violation being recorded. If physical delivery is required, the notice must reach the vehicle owner or registered holder within 15 days.
Vehicle owners who believe a challan has been issued incorrectly can submit supporting evidence through the designated government portal. If the reviewing authority accepts the evidence, the challan may be cancelled. However, if the objection is rejected, the vehicle owner must either pay the penalty within 30 days or deposit 50 percent of the challan amount before approaching a court.
Officials have also introduced stricter provisions for repeat offenders. Under central guidelines, any vehicle owner or driver found violating traffic rules five or more times within a year may be treated as a habitual offender. However, violations recorded in one year will not be carried forward when calculating records for future years.
Authorities have warned that failure to clear pending challans could lead to administrative restrictions. In such cases, applications related to driving licences and vehicle registrations may not be processed until the outstanding penalties are resolved.
In addition, objections against challans issued by Motor Vehicle Inspectors and Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspectors will be reviewed by Regional Transport Officers or District Transport Officers. The move is expected to provide motorists with a structured mechanism to address grievances while ensuring greater accountability in traffic enforcement.
