After it was discovered that the challans were processed improperly, a local court in Srinagar ordered the IGP and SSP (Traffic) to stop issuing the e-challans, leaving the traffic department in a pickle. Additionally, it has come to light that the traffic department’s e-challan system is having issues, causing the challans that were issued to not appear on the Special Mobile Magistrate (Traffic) Srinagar’s virtual court system. This has put the department in a precarious position where it appears that the necessary preparation for its shift to the digital mode has not been made.
With the start of the e-challan system by the traffic department, the entire system has become quite difficult for people who have no idea how to go about it once they receive a message that they have been fined for so and so violation. Even there have been cases, on record, where the drivers were simply asked to stop only to be allowed to go after clicking the pictures of the vehicle. Later in the evening, they come to know that they have to deposit a fine for the violation that they did not commit; the same points to a process which does not follow the procedure.
It was these instances which made the court observe that the necessary procedures were not followed while issuing the challans and that was the reason the court directed the traffic department to release the vehicles seized and fined. The glitch in the NIC servers, however, remains while the traffic authorities have contacted the NIC for the identification and the correction of the bug which has set it all in the opposite direction where things have gone south, leaving the people with no option but to move court. One important thing that needs to be asked is if the court wouldn’t interfere, was the traffic department going to keep the public in the dark and resort to seizure and fines without following the SOPs?
Going digital, making it seamless and effective all at once, is good and appreciated, but for that, the mandatory homework is what is required from the traffic department. If despite going digital, the violations—on part of the department—persist, then it is just meaningless, a waste of resources and time. The focus needs to be on making the process easy; making it further easier when it comes to the disposal of e-challans because, in the end, the purpose of the transition to the digital sphere is to make it easy and hassle-free for the public in particular and the personnel of the traffic department in general. There is a lot that has to be done about traffic alone in Srinagar city, so we can’t just see the traffic department failing at the outset. This time, it is expected that the traffic authorities will do their homework and develop a plan to assure the plugging of the loopholes.
