DC Edit | Make Traffic Offenders Sorry
Linking unpaid challans to licences and vehicle services can make penalties timely and enforceable
The Supreme Court’s order linking unpaid traffic challans to blockage of vehicle registration, pollution under control (PUC) certificates and driving licences deserves commendation as it solves the basic issue of accountability and governance. The court has also ordered officials to take action against repeat offenders by impounding vehicles. Detecting a violation and generating a digital notice cannot constitute effective enforcement if the offender can ignore it indefinitely.
The principle underlying the court’s order is sound. A motorist who pays promptly should not feel foolish while another who accumulates violations without consequence should not look smart. Such unequal outcomes weaken respect for the law and encourage the belief that persistence in evasion pays. Higher fines alone cannot repair this. No penalty is worth the paper it is printed on unless it is enforced within a reasonable, clearly defined period.
The fact that nearly Rs 50,000 crore was outstanding dues against e-challans issued across the country speaks volumes about the poor recovery of penalties. While Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous state, contributes 21 per cent of total challans, major cities which switched to CCTV-based automatic issue of e-challans lead in pending challans.
Currently, motorists are informed through text messages alone. If someone does not check text messages, they are bound to miss the payment. Governments, therefore, must set up a transparent timetable for notification of penalty, payment, objections, adjudication and recovery.
Enforcement agencies could send regular alerts and notices to the motorists to allow those, who are genuinely unaware of penalties an opportunity to clear the pending dues. Once liability is settled and the payment period expires, prescribed consequences should follow predictably. Similarly, a disputed challan should receive timely adjudication before coercive recovery. At the same time, citizens should not be made to run pillar to post to settle the issue.