Fines for 50 types of violations set up to Rs 5,000, which can be halved if paid within the 15 days
Adopting a carrot-and-stick policy, the Sindh Police has offered motorists 50 percent discount on e-challans paid within 15 days, while warning of stiffer penalties for those who ignore fines despite repeated awareness campaigns.
The initiative, which aims to promote timely payments and greater compliance with traffic laws, was unveiled during a review meeting on the faceless e-ticketing system and traffic law enforcement. The meeting, held at the central police office, was chaired by Inspector General (IG) Sindh Ghulam Nabi Memon.
Additional IGs from Karachi, Welfare, Training, Safe City, Headquarters, Sindh Police Highway Patrol, Establishment, Driving License Department, Traffic Karachi, IT and Finance attended the meeting. AIGs. Divisional DIGs and district SSPs participated in the meeting through video link.
During the session, IG Memon directed the district traffic officers to ensure uniform enforcement of the new traffic laws and penalties in Sindh. He emphasized that violations such as driving without number plates and other violations of traffic rules must be dealt with strictly under the revised legal framework.
Under the new system, fines for 50 types of violations have been raised to Rs 5,000. However, motorists who pay within the 15 days will be eligible for a 50 percent discount, effectively reducing fines for most common violations to between Rs 2,000 and 2,500.
Read more: Broken roads, poor infrastructure: SHC moved against e-callan system
The IG warned that motorists who fail to pay fines despite prior warnings and awareness drives will face progressively higher fines. He directed all districts to intensify public awareness campaigns and to establish facilitation centers for handling traffic related complaints at the district level.
Briefing the meeting, DIG Traffic said 59 offenses are currently being monitored and fined, while nine serious offenses – including one-way offences, underage driving, unicycling, drifting, driving without lights, driving unregistered vehicles, reckless driving, signal violations and illegal overtaking – carry fines of over R5,000. He clarified that reports on social media linking fines too heavy vehicles with fines for motorcycles and cars, are misleading.
To help the citizens, 11 facilitation centers have been established in Karachi where SPs, CPLC representatives and DSPs or concerned officers will address public grievances. The time taken to resolve a complaint does not count towards the payment period of the challan.
The DIG added that citizens are informed about fines through Pakistan Post, SMS and a mobile application, ensuring transparency in the e-ticketing process. He further told that road safety initiatives have started in Karachi in collaboration with the district administration from Monday.
Last week, the Sindh government rolled out e-challenges in Karachi as the faceless Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS) automatically generated more than 2,600 e-tickets worth over Rs13 million for various traffic violations within just six hours of its launch.
According to DIG Traffic Police Peer Muhammad Shah, the new automated system uses advanced surveillance technology including Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), Intelligent Transport System (ITS) and facial recognition (FR) cameras, all integrated under the Safe City Authority to identify and fine traffic violators.
He added that modern surveillance cameras have so far been installed in 30 percent of the city’s areas and work in the remaining zones is expected to be completed soon. Currently, major arteries and areas – including Sharah-e-Faisal, Sir Shah Suleman Road, Rashid Minhas Road, Shahrah-e-Pakistan, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Chowrangi and Qayyumabad Chowrangi – are covered. The total number of advanced cameras is expected to reach 12,000 in the coming phase.
