UP to send e-challan notices through authenticated WhatsApp
The transport department in Uttar Pradesh--the most populous state of the country--has sought to retrieve long-pending traffic fines by sending e-challan notices created on the most popular messaging platform, WhatsApp chatbot. A service that is associated with the official number 8005441222 should be directly invited to inform vehicle owners about dues pending against their vehicles.
The department will issue about 36 lakh e-challan notices covering unpaid fines spread over three financial years, 2022-23 onwards, according to department officials. Out of these, there will be the delivery of a rough estimate of 14 lakh notices in the current financial year 2024-25 only.
Challans worth Rs 1,411.2 crore were issued in the state in 2024-25 on 27,01,786 challans. Nonetheless, about 81.8 percent of them are unpaid. Today, there are 22,11,244 pending challans having a value of about Rs 790.45 crore.
The four wheelers contribute the maximum to defaulters as 53.9 percent of unpaid challans are parked worth Rs 552.66 crore with an average of Rs 4,641 per challan. Two-wheelers come just behind as the runners-up in the list of defaulters.
Multi-offender vehicles have also been a serious issue tagged by not only for the department. There are more than 2.79 lakh such vehicles in the link to 8.71 lakh pending challans, aggregating to Rs 338.76 crore.
Equally, there are more than 2.21 lakh mobile numbers with 7 or more challans issued followed by over 1.11 lakh numbers with 6 challans issued, that have resulted in an outstanding amount of Rs 432.94 crore.
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So much of the recovery is lost to the lack of or wrongful entry into mobile numbers in the registration records of vehicles.
Over 8.06 lakh challans, amounting to Rs 270.6 crore, cannot be delivered because of invalid contact numbers. Out of this, more than 3.84 lakh challans have been recorded with the words NULL and 4.21 lakh with a number having less than 10 figures.
There must be transparency and to eliminate frauds, the department made it clear that notices would be sent only by 8005441222, which has a verified blue tick. Users can use and transfer only the official portal of the government, www.parivahan.gov.in. Individuals are not advised to send money using QR codes, UPI, or bank accounts.
The department is currently printing out notices on dues pending in 2024-25, but the officials have confirmed that notices on 2022 and 2023 will be published soon. The non-payers will attract harsher penalties as stipulated in the Motor Vehicles Act, including prosecution.
The UP government had earlier, in June 2023, cancelled all the pending challans that had been issued between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2021. But the current outstanding dues are in hundreds of crores of rupees and this digital recovery drive is an important step towards enforcing compliance.
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