PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun The Transport department has issued over 2.26 lakh e-challans across Uttarakhand this year but only 22,812 have been settled so far, leaving more than two lakh challans still pending. In view of this large pendency and poor communication with vehicle owners, the department on Thursday instructed all Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) to run a special public awareness campaign from November 20 to December 31 to ensure that citizens update their mobile numbers in vehicle registration records. A letter issued by additional transport commisioner Sanat Kumar Singh on Thursday stated that Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed at 37 locations, along with interceptor vehicles, task force units and enforcement teams using radar guns, are regularly issuing e-challans for traffic violations such as overspeeding. Since these systems function electronically without stopping vehicles, officers rarely get an opportunity to check documents or impound them directly. As a result, if a vehicle’s registered mobile number is incorrect or outdated, the owner may never receive the SMS notification about the challan, causing large numbers of fines to remain unpaid. The letter stated that a review of the ANPR challan system revealed that despite high enforcement activity, settlement numbers remain significantly low. Similar backlogs are seen in radar-gun-generated challans as well. The deputy transport commisioner Shailesh Tiwari stated that under the Motor Vehicles Rules, challans must be disposed of within 90 days and if still pending, authorities may send an additional electronic notice or call the violator on their registered mobile number. “Given these rules, the department stressed the urgent need for vehicle owners to update their mobile numbers, which has also become mandatory for services such as insurance renewal and pollution certificate renewal, both requiring Aadhaar-based OTP verification. All RTOs have been directed to carry out awareness drives within their jurisdictions and encourage citizens to promptly update their mobile numbers to avoid delays, penalties and legal complications arising from pending challans,” he added.
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