J&K roads yet not ready for new traffic rules, e-challans await linkage to courts

JAMMU: Though the Traffic Wing of Jammu and Kashmir Police has introduced an E-challan facility to smoothly facilitate exercise of fining the violators but it has further escalated mess on city roads between both the parties as the swipe machines issued to the cops, are yet to be linked with the Court for challans.
The process of connecting the machine with the Court for E-challan was introduced for such violators who did not have cash to pay fine on the spot or do not have the ATM card, are slapped Court challan.
“If the violator opt Court Challan, the cop has to press an option on the machine following which he can pay the fine to the Court and can later collect seized documents of the vehicles from the concerned official,” a Traffic Police officer here said.
He said that cops are facing difficulties while dealing E-challan, adding, “in many cases, the violators are not carrying the documents manually but on government run applications and at the time of fine, if they do not have the cash to pay and not even the ATM, we are unable to fine Court Challan because we least need a document to seize.”
However, he said that the Court Challan facility has yet to be linked, adding, “the machine is linked to other portals including the RTO and if the violations are repeated, the license or the Registration Certificate can be cancelled by the concerned officer.”
Due to low speed internet facility, swipe machines cannot be linked to the Court, he claimed.
“The machine is also having a video recording facility to keep track of the behavior of the violator as well as the traffic inspector dealing,” he said.
He further added, “in case of seat belt violation, the vehicle as per law cannot be seized and in such a situation, the violator if neither have cash nor the documents, we become helpless and it triggers argument because such violators also cannot be slapped with Court challan in absence of the facility.”
The Central Government has amended the Motor Vehicles Rules 1989 to clamp down on violators particularly to tighten noose against fake document holders.
“Vehicle related documents including driving license and e-challan are being maintained from October 1 through Information Technology portal,” said a traffic official adding that at the time of scrutinizing documents, if they are found original, the drivers do not have to produce original at police checkpoints.
“No doubt, the facility is a boon for police as well as the violators because it has somehow eased out unwanted botheration but due to certain drawbacks, it is becoming difficult at the time of fining,” said a Traffic Inspector.
He added that as many as forty machines have been issued to the men for e-challan and 40 more are arriving, adding, “these machines are connected to the portal of the Motor Vehicle Department.”
“The traffic officers will have the information of the registration certificate of the vehicle along with the driving license and from time to time, the license should be made from the RTO office and the information about cancellation will be updated on the portal,” he revealed about the working.
“The challan will also be updated in the Court records once linked following which the violator will receive SMS from the Court with amount of fine to be paid by due date,” he informed adding that the amount of fine can also be filled online without going to the Court and the violators can get the documents from the traffic cops after producing receipt of the challan paid.