Fines for 50 types of violations set at Rs 5,000 which can be reduced by half if paid within 15 days.
Adopting a carrot and stick policy, the Sindh police have offered motorists a 50 per cent discount on e-challans paid within 15 days, while warning of tougher penalties for those who ignore fines despite repeated awareness campaigns.
The initiative, aimed at promoting timely payments and greater compliance with traffic laws, was revealed 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.
The meeting was attended by other IGs of Karachi, Welfare, Training, Safe City, Headquarters, Sindh Police Highway Patrol, Establishment, Driving License Department, Traffic Karachi, IT and Finance. AIG. 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 implementation of the new traffic laws and penalties across Sindh. He stressed that violations such as driving without a license plate and other violations of traffic rules must be strictly addressed in the revised legal framework.
Under the new system, fines of up to Rs 5,000 have been set for 50 types of violations. However, motorists who pay within 15 days will be entitled to a 50 per cent discount, effectively reducing fines for the most common violations to between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,500.
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The IG warned that drivers who fail to pay fines despite prior warnings and awareness campaigns will face progressively higher penalties. He directed all districts to intensify public awareness campaigns and establish facilitation centers to handle traffic-related complaints at the district level.
Briefing the meeting, DIG Traffic said 59 violations are currently being monitored and fined, while nine serious violations (including one-way violations, underage driving, driving on one wheel, skidding, driving without lights, driving unregistered vehicles, reckless driving, signal violations and illegal overtaking) carry penalties exceeding Rs 5,000. He clarified that the information on social networks that links fines for heavy vehicles with those for motorcycles and cars is misleading.
To help citizens, 11 facilitation centers have been established in Karachi where SPs, CPLC representatives and DSPs or concerned officials will address public complaints. The time taken to resolve a complaint will not be counted towards the challan payment period.
The DIG added that citizens are informed about the fines through Pakistan Post, SMS and a mobile application, ensuring transparency in the e-ticketing process. He further said that road safety initiatives have started in Karachi in collaboration with the district administration from Monday.
Last week, the Sindh government implemented e-challans in Karachi as the faceless Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS) automatically generated over 2,600 e-fines worth over Rs 13 million for various traffic violations within just six hours of its launch.
According to DIG traffic police colleague Muhammad Shah, the new automated system uses cutting-edge 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 been installed in 30 percent of the city’s areas so far and work in the remaining areas 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 next phase.
