Panchkula: Despite the traffic police issuing a large number of challans in Panchkula, recovery of fines remains abysmally low, raising concerns over the effectiveness of enforcement measures.Traffic police data shows that challans worth Rs 2.95 crore were issued in the first three months of this year alone, but only Rs 2.02 lakh has been deposited so far. Officials said the trend is worrying and reflects a continuing problem seen in previous years as well.During the entire year in 2025, from Jan 1 to Dec, traffic police imposed fines amounting to Rs 42.2 crore for various violations across the district. However, till date, only Rs 1.32 crore of this amount has been recovered.Officials said the sharp rise in challan amounts this year is largely due to increased use of automatic challan generation systems, particularly for pollution control and insurance violations. Under the Motor Vehicles Act, fines for these offences are Rs 10,000 for the first pollution control violation and Rs 2,000 for the first insurance violation, significantly pushing up the total amount imposed.A similar trend was observed earlier as well. In 2024, the traffic police imposed fines amounting to Rs 9.78 crore, but only Rs 1.83 crore could be collected. Residents said the poor recovery rate defeats the purpose of issuing challans, as violators continue to go scot-free without fear of penalties.Figures show that 11,750 challans were issued in the first three months of this year. In comparison, 91,709 challans were issued in 2025 and 87,618 challans in 2024.Senior officials said that although a majority of challans are now issued online through CCTV cameras and automated systems, compliance remains poor. Many violators receive challan messages but do not come forward to pay the fine.The growing gap between challans imposed and fines recovered has caused concern within the police department. Reacting to the trend, Amrinder Singh, deputy commissioner of police (crime and traffic), said stricter action would now be taken against repeat offenders.“Taking cognisance of this trend, we have decided to impound vehicles on the fourth violation if the previous three challans are found pending. I had implemented the same measure in Yamunanagar as well, where court directions were also issued in this regard,” the DCP said.He added that most challans are issued online for offences such as triple riding, modified silencers, vehicles without number plates and videography on roads. “Now, challans for wrong parking, pollution control and insurance violations have also increased due to online challaning,” he said.BOX/Graphic:Challans | 2024 | 2025 | 2026Fine imposed: 97,857,651 | 422,078,400 | 29,582,500Fine pending: 79,512,500 | 40,88,07,000 | 27,556,000Fine collected: 18,345,151 | 13,271,400 | 2,026,500Poor recoveries cause for concern In 2025, fines worth Rs 42.2 crore were imposed, while just Rs 1.32 crore has been recovered till date Automatic and CCTV-based challaning, especially for pollution control and insurance violations, is the main reason for the sharp rise in fine amounts Poor recovery of challans has raised concerns over the deterrent value of traffic enforcement, with violators often ignoring online challans A total of 11,750 challans were issued in January–March 2026, compared to over 91,700 in 2025 and 87,600 in 2024 Most challans are issued online, but many violators do not come forward to pay despite receiving messages Traffic police have decided to impound vehicles on the fourth violation if the first three challans remain unpaid Common violations include triple riding, modified silencers, vehicles without number plates, unauthorised filming, wrong parking, lack of insurance and pollution control certificatesEOm… MSID:: 130310195 413 |
