Coimbatore: If you are in the habit of ignoring traffic challans, which keep on mounting, beware. In a major crackdown on traffic violators, Coimbatore city police have announced stringent action against the vehicles with more than five pending traffic challans. The move comes as authorities attempt to tackle a growing culture of playing down of challans among motorists who by and large seem to treat digital citations as mere suggestions rather than legal mandates.According to the latest data released by the city police, 13,254 vehicles have been identified as having more than five pending challans. Police have categorized the habitual traffic offenders into high-risk brackets, revealing a troubling trend of repeat violations. Deputy police commissioner (traffic) Ashok Kumar says the department is no longer relying solely on automated SMS alerts. “Vehicles with high volumes of pending challans are now being flagged by our field officers and interceptors. Once identified, we will reach out to the owners and ask them to clear the outstanding fines. This crackdown is not just about revenue, but also about safety.” Officials argue that a driver who ignores 10 or 20 citations is likely to be a high-risk motorist who disregards fundamental road rules such as signal jumping, speeding and driving on the wrong side. “The stringent action we are planning against such offenders is nothing less than seizure of their vehicles,” says an official. The police department has urged citizens to proactively check their vehicle status on the official traffic portal. “Ignorance of a pending challan is not a valid excuse when your vehicle is being towed away,” says a senior police official. According to city police commissioner N Kannan, they (police) do not have the power to seize vehicles for non-payment of fines. “However, we are planning to reach out to the owners who have multiple challans. We will explain the consequences and ask them to clear the fines. Unlike some states, Tamil Nadu does not have yearly renewal of vehicle licenses. We are planning to counsel repeat offenders and make them aware of traffic rules.” S Akil, a motorist from Podanur, says he was issued a challan for not wearing a helmet. “As soon as I received the message, I logged on to mParivahan website and paid the fine. But there are people who do not take these fines seriously. They think police could not do anything if the fine remains unpaid. As citizens and motorists, it is everyone’s responsibility to adhere to the rules.” He also urged the govt to link vehicle numbers with insurance premiums so that motorists could renew their insurance only after clearing all pending fines.
