Mumbai traffic cops visiting homes to collect fines

MUMBAI: Traffic police personnel have begun visiting the houses of motorists who have been challaned 50 times or more to get them to clear pending fines. As a result, the recovery rate of fines has doubled in January compared to the same month last year.
TOI found out about three motorists who recently paid fines ranging between Rs 65,000 and Rs 83,000 for over 50 challans issued against each of their cars. One with a Range Rover had as many as 86 challans, mostly for speeding on the Bandra-Worli sea link, and paid Rs 83,600. The owners of a Volvo and Toyota vehicles paid Rs 69,400 for 75 challans, and Rs 65,200 for 66 challans.

"There's a motorist whose Maruti Suzuki car has run up 155 challans and is supposed to pay Rs 1.5 lakh. Except three, the remaining 152 challans were issued against his car for speeding," said a traffic official. Speeding attracts one of the steepest penalties.

The reason most motorists claim their fines are unpaid is because they are not intimated about pending challans. A few whose phone numbers are linked to the driving licences get the e-challans as a text message. But the cellphone numbers of a vast majority of motorists in the city are not recorded with the RTO.

"On our MumTrafficApp, motorists can register their vehicles and look up for pending challans and pay them. We are negotiating with the postal department to send challans by post to every offender," said a senior officer.

The traffic police have identified 6 lakh vehicles with 35 lakh unpaid challans as of now. With constables at doorsteps, "the recovery rate has doubled in January 2019 as compared to last year", said joint commissioner, traffic, Amitesh Kumar.

A spike in unpaid challans was noticed since the traffic police stopped accepting fines in cash last year. In November 2018, the value of pending penalties had gone up to a staggering Rs 101 crore. In an effort to get offenders to pay up, traffic constables were posted at toll nakas - especially at the sea link for some time - with hand-held devices. They would key in the number of every passing vehicle and check for unpaid challans. If any showed up, the vehicle owner was asked to clear them then and there.

Most of the high-value challans are for speeding or racing (Rs 2,000). The Bandra-Worli Sealink and the Eastern Freeway are among the locations where motorists have been found stepping on the accelerator the most. "Automatic number plate recognition cameras have been installed on key roads. Whenever a vehicle crosses the prescribed speed limit, an automatic challan is generated. A photo of the violation and details of the vehicle are stored in our system as evidence. The challan is sent to the vehicle owner's cellphone in the form of a text," said a traffic police officer. Challans can be paid online or at traffic chowkies.

The cops have been facing one hitch. "Certain automobile dealers have been issuing the same TC number for all new vehicles sold by them (TC or Trade Certificate number is a temporary authorisation of transit till the vehicle is registered with the RTO). Where challans have been generated against a TC number and multiple vehicles have been using the number, it becomes tough for us to identify the offender. We are contemplating action against such dealers," said a senior officer.