The High Court has directed the Punjab government to submit a progress report on the pilot project by November.

Online Traffic Challan Payment to Start Soon in Mohali, Punjab Latest News: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Punjab government to launch an online traffic challan payment facility in Mohali district. This step is aimed at reducing the burden on trial courts and enhancing public convenience.

A division bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjeev Berry issued this order while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). The petition argued that after the 2019 amendment to the Motor Vehicles Act, the number of e-challans has increased, but people still need to be physically present at courts or offices to pay them.

The petition pointed out that in states like Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, the National Virtual Court portal is already in use, allowing people to pay minor traffic fines online. It termed the delay in Punjab as “unreasonable” and demanded statewide implementation of the system.

During the hearing, the National Informatics Centre (NIC) informed the court that if it receives the go-ahead, the virtual court system can be made fully operational within three weeks.

The Punjab Transport Commissioner, in an earlier affidavit, stated that Mohali was selected for the first phase because it has an extensive CCTV network. He assured that upon successful implementation of the pilot project, the service would be expanded across the entire state.

The High Court has directed the Punjab government to submit a progress report on the pilot project by November.