SC focuses on fuzzy enforcement of electronic monitoring of highways, roads

Four years after the introduction of a law enabling the electronic monitoring of roads and highways to prevent fatalities and accidents, the government in the Supreme Court is accepting that its implementation has potholes which require mending.

Four years after the introduction of a law enabling the electronic monitoring of roads and highways to prevent fatalities and accidents, the government in the Supreme Court is accepting that its implementation has potholes which require mending.

One of the blind spots in the implementation of Section 136A (electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 is integral to its success and survival - to make sure that errant vehicle owners pay the traffic fines issued through e-challans.

Statistics presented before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Thursday showed that only a miniscule 7.61% of drivers challaned electronically have bothered to pay the fine in the last four years till March 10, 2023.

A total 3.98 crore e-challans were issued in this period in smart cities across the country. These challans were worth a total of ₹3,877.36 crore in fines for various traffic offences. However, the authorities have only been able to collect ₹295.26 crore.

The “unrealised” amount of traffic fines issued through e-challans remains a whopping ₹3,582.1 crore.

“The impact of the entire exercise of electronic monitoring and e-challans stands substantially reduced by considerably less recovery of e-challan amounts, which was in fact intended to deter vehicle owners from committing traffic rule violations,” petitioner Kishan Chand Jain has submitted.

The government seems to have geared towards action now, as per a report filed by the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety through amicus curiae Gaurav Agrawal.