Digital eyes on the roads slash grievances: UT e-challan system cuts complaints against policemen by half between Aug and Dec 2025

Chandigarh has witnessed a 53 per cent drop in complaints against traffic police personnel in five months, with only 15 complaints received between August and December 2025 compared to 32 complaints in the corresponding period in 2024, as a result of the introduction of the e-challan system in the city, a senior traffic police officer said.

Most of these complaints concern allegations of “wrongful challaning”, with a few also involving “bribery”, according to traffic police sources.

“Since the introduction of the e-challan system in 2020, human intervention has reduced significantly, but a comparison of complaints has been done for the first time,” the officer said.

According to an RTI reply in 2025, the Chandigarh Traffic Police issued an average of 96 challans per hour, taking less than a minute to generate one. Between July and August 20, 2025, a total of 1,02,222 challans were issued, of which 84,204 were generated through CCTV cameras under the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS), and 18,018 were issued manually by traffic personnel.

The data shows 82 per cent of challans were produced automatically through ITMS, while fewer than 18 per cent were handed out manually.

Officials said the Chandigarh Traffic Police steadily moved towards minimising manual challaning and adopting technology-driven enforcement in line with Smart City and digital governance initiatives. Enforcement is now largely carried out through e-challan systems integrated with automated technologies, such as Red-Light Violation Detection Systems (RLVDS), speed detection devices, and ANPR-based surveillance, all of which are monitored centrally at the Police Command and Control Centre (PCCC).

“This transition has reduced direct interaction between enforcement personnel and road users, cutting down disputes, allegations of bias, and discretionary enforcement. Violations are captured through certified electronic devices, ensuring objective, evidence-based and uniform enforcement across the city. Greater reliance on digital challaning has also brought transparency and accountability, as violators receive photographic or video evidence of their offences along with easy online verification and payment options,” the officer said.

They added, “This approach has led to a clear decline in public grievances and complaints related to traffic enforcement. It has strengthened public trust, improved compliance with traffic rules, and created a more professional and citizen-friendly enforcement environment. The reforms have delivered significant and measurable results.”

SSP (Traffic) Sumer Pratap Singh said, “In Chandigarh, we are focusing on technology-driven enforcement, which is a global trend. This initiative has produced positive outcomes, with violations reducing considerably since the introduction of e-challaning a few years ago.”

To strengthen capacity building, the Chandigarh Police has also organised special training sessions for traffic personnel at the Traffic Auditorium in Sector 29. These sessions, covering communication skills, soft skills, and behavioural change, have already trained 350 officials to improve public interaction and ensure courteous enforcement.

In addition, the Chandigarh Traffic Police has launched Road Safety Clubs in schools across the Union Territory to instil awareness and responsible road behaviour among students from an early age. The initiative educates children on traffic rules, safe pedestrian practices, helmet and seat belt use, and overall road discipline through interactive sessions and campaigns. Students act as road safety ambassadors, spreading awareness among peers, families, and the wider community. So far, 187 government and private schools with 3,786 students have joined the programme.