Bengaluru police used a different tactic to collect pending traffic fines, and it worked | Azad Times

Whether it be a buy-one-get-one-free at the local grocery store or a bargain clearance sale at a textile shop, one simply cannot ignore a discount offer. Even the Karnataka Transport Department can vouch. For a government body that was owed up to Rs 530 crore in fines, the implementation of a 50% rebate on paying dues for pending traffic challans in the state has made all the difference. In a matter of a week, the Bengaluru Traffic Police alone have managed to clear 41.2 lakh cases and collect Rs 120 crore in fines. Sources say that it generally takes the city’s traffic department about a year to collect such an amount.

It was on February 2 that the Karnataka Transport Department issued an order implementing the rebate for a week, from February 3 to 11, based on a direction from the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA) to take appropriate action to clear the backlog of roughly 1.13 crore unpaid e-challans. From the very next day, traffic violators in Bengaluru gathered in huge numbers at several police stations, Bangalore One centres (facilities to make payments), and the Traffic Management Centre on Infantry Road, all set to finally clear their dues. More than two lakh violations were settled just that day, and the police collected up to Rs 5.6 crore in total. Within ten days, the amount soared to Rs 120 crore.

According to Bengaluru Traffic Commissioner MA Saleem, some of these fines have been pending since 2019. Speaking to TNM, Saleem said it was a hard task to make violators pay fines. “If someone violates a traffic rule, notices are sent to the owner of the vehicle asking them to come forward and give details of the driver that committed the violation. However, many do not show up and the pending list of fines just keeps growing longer,” he said.

“The scheme has received a great response and therefore we have written to the KSLSA to consider reintroducing the scheme. If the scheme is to be reintroduced and for how long it is to be implemented is the discretion of KSLSA and the State Transport Department,” Saleem added.

However, the scheme has brought to light an additional issue, that of fake licence plates. The issue came to light as people began flocking to check their violations and found discrepancies. The police now plan to crack down on the violators using fake licence plates and have decided to set up a separate team for the task. Those who have found that they have been wrongly charged for a violation can approach the Traffic Management Centre to rectify the same.