Motorists can challenge incorrect e-challans online in Punjab

Complaints about incorrect electronic traffic fines, or e-challans, have become increasingly common in Pakistan’s major cities.

The Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has introduced an online e-challan review facility to allow residents to challenge fines they believe were issued incorrectly.

Complainant motorists can log in to the e-challan review website at echallan.psca.gob.pk, go to the review section, upload supporting evidence, and submit the form.

According to the PSCA, if a review establishes that the challan was issued incorrectly, it will be cancelled within 24 hours.

The online process is intended to allow motorists to challenge disputed fines without having to visit a government office in person.

Punjab Safe Cities Authority or PSCA is a Punjab government authority established under Punjab Safe Cities Authority Ordinance 2015. It aims to provide an integrated platform for technology led public safety, security, crime prevention and traffic management in Punjab.

PSCA is responsible for operating Integrated Command, Control and Communication Centre, PPIC3 and has established thousands of high-definition cameras in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Faisalabad and Gujranwala cities to monitor and support law enforcement, help fight crime and crime prevention and to serve as a tool for city asset monitoring. By monitoring roads, streets and city infrastructure across the provinces through cameras, PSCA’s command centre supports the police in tracking criminals as well as ensuring traffic rules compliance.

Under its AI-based Traffic Law Enforcement, the PSCA issues e-challans to increase road discipline and reduce accidents. The computer vision-based system captures and recognizes 19 types of traffic violations, including helmet/seatbelt violations, mobile phone use, over speed, red signals and wrong way violation, number plate violation and others.

Cameras snap a picture of the offending vehicle, check its number plate and location and time stamp the violation event, which is logged into a central database where an electronic challan gets auto generated and automatically SMSed to the owner’s pre-registered mobile phone through their mobile phone operator.

This 24/7 system uses machine vision to address the need for traffic fines enforcement without manual intervention and intends to educate motorists to stick to traffic rules.

E-challans can be checked and paid online on the PSCA’s portal at echallan.psca.gop.pk by inputting the vehicle number and CNIC. Challans are issued with pictorial evidence of the violations and can be paid using the e-Pay Punjab app or a banking app through a PSID.

The authorities have issued a warning to citizens to be aware of fake e-challan SMS messages that may be received by people. The government has said that the official SMS messages will only be received from 9915, they will not contain a link to make a payment and will not ask for a bank account number. Failure to pay challans may attract a doubling of the fine or initiation of legal proceedings.