MP complains on video over e-e-challans; Mumbai Traffic Police responds with Rs 16,900 in due fines

Responding to Amol Khole’s tweet, Mumbai Traffic Police stated that his vehicle has multiple pending fines from 15 e-challans, totalling Rs 16,900.

Amol Kolhe, MP of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) came up with a scathing critique against the Mumbai Traffic Police and accused them of charging him with harassment and fraudulent fine collection techniques. The actor-parliamentarian's was triggered when he was stopped by a female traffic cop, who made him pay an online fee for his car and left him with a startling 15 pending e-challans totalling Rs 16,900.

Kolhe described the incident in a tweet, providing details of an 'order' that he seemed to have found on the officer's mobile phone. The order indicated that at least 20 automobiles must yield a minimum of Rs 25,000. Kolhe began to worry whether the traffic department was more concerned with revenue recovery than traffic regulation, which led him to question the government and the traffic police.

Amol Kohle mentioned, "I experienced something very shocking. A lady police officer from the Mumbai Traffic Police stopped my car and asked to pay the fine online. While checking her mobile, I saw a message in the form of an order that said ₹25,000 to be collected from at least 20 vehicles."

Kolhe opposed the police and the government, emphasizing, "There are 652 traffic junctions in Mumbai. 25,000x652 = Rs 1,63,00,000 per day, which is a whopping Rs 1.63 crore in Mumbai alone. What about other cities? If the concerned ministers or officials disclose, the public will know whether the traffic department is being used for recovery rather than traffic regulation."

Responding to Kolhe's tweet, the Mumbai Traffic Police (MTP) revealed that Kolhe's car had accrued overdue fines from 15 e-challans, totalling Rs 16,900. In a formal response, the MTP ascribed, "As part of our investigation, it was found that your vehicle with registration number MH14 FH - - - - has pending fines of ₹16,900 from 15 e-challans issued between December 28, 2019, and October 2, 2023, on various roads in Maharashtra."

Mumbai police also tweeted that 12 of these challans are because of speeding. They also stated, "Being a responsible public representative, we are expected to get factual information from the supervisory authorities before broadcasting such a confusing message on social media."

In support of their measures, the Mumbai Traffic Police disclosed that over 1.31 million e-challans remain unpaid in Mumbai, with fines totalling more than Rs 685 crore since January 1, 2019. The MTP emphasized that they execute traffic discipline and collect money for the government during their weekend penalty collection activities.