More challans issued in Chandigarh this year, but slump after MV Act
As per records, the number of challans issued till August this year, before the amended Motor Vehicle (MV) Act was enforced, was 2.04 lakh while in the same period last year, 1.50 lakh challans were issued. In the months following the implementation of the amended MV act, a steep dip in challans were issued.
At 2.63 lakh, the number of challans issued till December 25 this year in the city is more than the last year when 2.37 lakh challans were issued. The total challan amount collected this year so far amounts to over ₹5.54 crore while last year it was ₹5.07 crore.
As per records, the number of challans issued till August this year, before the amended Motor Vehicle (MV) Act was enforced, was 2.04 lakh while in the same period last year, 1.50 lakh challans were issued.
In the months following the implementation of the amended MV Act, a steep dip was seen in challans issued. After August this year, 58,436 challans were issued in the city while in 2018, the figure was 86,367.
Speaking about this, deputy superintendent of police (DSP, traffic administration) Kewal Krishan said, “The number of challans has decreased ever since the penalties have been increased. People are now more cautious and the traffic police is also working on spreading more awareness.”
In November, a further dip was witnessed with less than 100 challans being issued in the entire month. This prompted senior superintendent of police (SSP, traffic) Shashank Anand to issue a show-cause notice to 23 challaning officials.
At 67,409, the most number of challans were issued for driving without helmets. This was a significant increase from 2018 when over 56,990 challans were issued for the offence. Speaking about this, DSP Krishan said, “Two- wheelers were the most vulnerable mode of transport in 2018. So steps were taken to make them wear helmets. This year, exemption for women has also been lifted and only turbaned Sikhs are now exempted from the rule so more challans have been issued.”
The number of drunken driving challans has gone down from 6,489 in 2018 to 4,471 challans in 2019. As per SSP Anand, the decrease can be attributed to stricter penalties along with strict implementation by the police.
“People are starting to hail cabs or drive with designated drivers now because of the enforcement of the traffic police.”
