When it comes to India, of the many famous things India is known for, Delhi traffic is undoubtedly one of them. Often in the rush of things, we might unknowingly break traffic rules and regulations, and the consequences are apparent. The breaking of rules takes a toll on our and other people's lives and creates as significant as black holes in our pockets. According to the Delhi police traffic reports, most accidents happen because of violations of traffic rules like drunk driving, overspeeding, overloading, etc. We suggest people be acutely aware of the traffic fines, which are soaring as high as Rs. 5000 for driving vehicles without a license. But the world wouldn�t come by as quickly as we want it to. So we might as well shed some light on how heavy a toll breaking the simple traffic rules would take on people, rules that are meant for the safety of people themselves!
The fine traffic list was implemented from 1st September 2019 in Delhi under the Motor Vehicle Act, which was amended in 2019 and specified Rs.10,000 as challan for driving an unregistered vehicle on the public roads with the minimum challan being Rs.500. But it so happens that bribery is prevalent in every official system in the country. And so, within the very same year, the e-challan system was introduced to regulate the traffic fines in Delhi.
Before we get into the technical jargon of the e-challan system, here�s what the e-challan system did. It digitised the challan payment system, meaning that no traffic violator could escape the payment of hefty challans, and bribery would be curbed significantly from the system. It also induced spirited driving as people became conscious of being spied on their every move and ultimately scared of paying as much as Rs.5000 for unknowingly crossing the red light.
Here�s How e-Challan System Operates
In 2019, when the revised traffic fine list was implemented, the successful enforcement of traffic rules and unavoidable payment of traffic challans, the government introduced the e-challan system. Currently, 15 Indian states have the e-challan system in operation.
Here�s an analogy: Just when you think no one is watching you, there�s always someone ready to say- �I Know What You Did Last Summer-� or rather �Last Time� and push you off the cliff. The Delhi Traffic Police CCTV cameras installed across the city pretty much are that �someone�, who capture your car number for having crossed a red light, and the traffic department waiting to send alarming messages on your phone, about to intrude in on your easy-going life!
Simple, isn�t it?
Suppose one is seen breaking any traffic rules via these CCTV cameras. In that case, the traffic department simply extracts their car number through which information like registration number, vehicle owner�s name, and mobile number are removed. Then a message is formulated consisting of the vehicle owner�s name and the date, time, and place of traffic rule violation along with the due acceptable amount to be paid by the vehicle owner, which they have to pay off within 60 days of issuance.
Before we talk about how to pay an e-challan, let�s see how we can check whether the e-challan has been paid or not. Now, while the one way to check about the challan status is the SMS one gets from the traffic police department, one might inadvertently delete the SMS stating the e-challan details. So what can be done in such a situation?
First of all, One need not panic. Furthermore, e-challan status can be checked online via the e-Challan official website! See, it�s easy, right? Therefore, you can safely say that you are not yet set to spend months in jail or give an even more considerable acceptable amount for not paying the e-challan in time or, worst-case scenario, both!
Checking The e-Challan Status
Step 1: Visit the e-Challan official website
Step 2: Click on the �Check Online Services� option on the menu bar on the website homepage.
Step 3: Choose the option �Check Challan Status� from the drop-down menu.
Step 4: Fill in the asked information on the following page: Either Vehicle Number or Challan Number or DL Number- Driving License Number
Step 5: Fill in the Captcha and click on Get Detail.
Step 6: if the respective Vehicle number, Challan number, or DL number doesn�t have any due challan amount, the website will show the same. On the other hand, if any challan amount is due, then it will be reflected in the �Challan Status� row.
Note: Vehicle Owners can also check the numbers of challans against their vehicles for the due challan amount.
As mentioned above, if the e-challan website shows any due challan amount for the vehicle number, DL number, or challan number filled, then it shows the �Challan Status� row.
Step 1: Click on the pay now button located at the end of the Challan Status row.
Step 2: Select your payment method: Credit Card/ Debit Card or Net Banking.
Step 3: Fill in the further asked necessary information according to the requirement and pay the challan.
Note: once the challan is paid off, the phone number registered with the defaulter vehicle number will receive an SMS saying �Payment Successful,� along with the Transaction ID. Challan payers ought to keep this information in mind.