Fines for 50 types of offenses of up to Rs5,000 which can be halved if paid within 15 days
Adopting a carrot-and-stick policy, Sindh Police has offered motorists a 50 percent discount on e-challans paid within 15 days, while warning of harsher punishment for those who ignore fines despite repeated awareness campaigns.
The initiative, aimed at promoting on-time payments and greater compliance with traffic laws, was revealed during a review meeting on the faceless electronic ticketing system and traffic enforcement. The meeting, held at the Central Police Office, was chaired by Inspector General (IG) Sindh Ghulam Nabi Memon.
Other IGs from Karachi, Social Welfare, Training, Safe City, Headquarters, Sindh Police Highway Patrol, Establishment, Driving License Branch, Karachi Traffic, IT and Finance attended the meeting. The AIGs. Divisional DIGs and district SSPs participated in the meeting through video link.
During the session, IG Memon asked the district traffic officers to ensure uniform implementation of the new traffic laws and penalties across Sindh. He stressed that offenses such as driving without a number plate and other traffic violations must be strictly dealt with under the revised legal framework.
Under the new system, fines for 50 types of offenses have been fixed at Rs 5,000. However, motorists paying within 15 days will be entitled to a 50 percent discount, reducing fines for the most common violations to between 2,000 and 2,500 rupees.
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The IG warned that motorists who failed to pay their fines despite prior warnings and awareness campaigns would face increasingly harsh penalties. He asked all districts to intensify public awareness campaigns and establish facilitation centers to address traffic complaints at the district level.
At the meeting, DIG Traffic said 59 violations are currently being monitored and punished with fines, while nine serious violations – including one-way violations, underage driving, one-wheel driving, drifting, driving without lights, driving unregistered vehicles, rash driving, signal violations and illegal overtaking – attract penalties exceeding Rs 5,000. He said information published on social media linking fines imposed on heavy goods vehicles to those imposed on motorcycles and cars was misleading.
To help citizens, 11 facilitation centers have been established in Karachi where SPs, CPLC representatives and DSPs or concerned officers will handle complaints from the public. The time taken to resolve a complaint will not count towards the challan payment deadline.
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 said that road safety initiatives had started in Karachi in collaboration with the district administration since Monday.
Last week, the Sindh government rolled out e-challans in Karachi as the faceless Traffic Regulation and Citing System (TRACS) automatically generated over 2,600 e-tickets amounting to 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 Transportation 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 areas is expected to be completed soon. Currently, major thoroughfares 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 upcoming phase.
