HYDERABAD: Unruly road users in Telangana who have broken traffic rules owe nearly Rs1,930 crore to the government in pending traffic challans.
While challans imposed by the police as on June 1 numbered 5,34,53,337, with fines totalling Rs 19,26,08,22,750, pending fines that are to be paid for violations recorded by the transport department stood at Rs 3.07 crore.
Time may be running out for paying these fines may be running out with the transport department issuing orders recognising intimation of a traffic violation sent by the authorities to a vehicle owner either via SMS, WhatsApp, or email, as an official communication that is deemed to have been received and understood.
The transport department, in GO No. 25, issued on June 1, said that all vehicle owners must update their mobile number and e-mail address on Vahan portal (http:/vahan.parivahan.gov.in) within 30 days. After the expiry of this period, “any challan sent through Short Messaging Service (SMS), WhatsApp or email, as the case may be on mobile number or e-mail of vehicle owner recorded in the Vahan portal, shall be deemed to have served on the vehicle owner,” the notification said.
“It is mandatory for all vehicle owners to update their contact information on Vahan portal. Starting next month, this will result in a unified tracking system, whether a challan is issued by the police, or the transport department and the process will be streamlined. Once a message is sent to a vehicle owner, it will be deemed that the person received it, understood it, and is obliged to pay the fine,” a senior transport department official said.
Monday’s orders bring into force, with immediate effect the electronic means of communication as an authorized form of communication of traffic rules violation challans.
Those who wish to contest a challan issued to them, can do so by contacting the redressal authority, the government said in another GO, also issued on Monday. In the tri-commissionerate areas of Hyderabad and surrounding municipalities, as well as for the Future City commissionerate, these will be the respective traffic DCPs, while in the rest of the districts, the redressal authority will either be the additional SP, and for Mulugu and Narayanpet, this responsibility will rest with the district superintendent of police, according to these orders.
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