All set to take a digital leap, Punjab Government will soon implement the e-challaning system across the state, besides providing options to make payment through digital gateways, and holding virtual courts for traffic offenders.

Punjab Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Traffic, Sharad Satya Chauhan, during a webinar on ‘Traffic Management and Road Safety under the COVID-19 Pandemic’ on Monday, emphasized on contactless and digital methods of policing like e-challan system, single use of straw while checking for drunk and drive, and digi locker platform for checking documents.

Chauhan said that the Punjab Police is looking forward to implement e-challaning system throughout the state after a successful pilot project in SAS Nagar and Patiala through which a greater number of offenders can be fined for violation of traffic rules.

“Through the corporate social responsibility (CSR), enough machines would be procured so that the entire state can be brought to a digital platform and all challans would be made through machines,” he said.

Sharing details, he said that the payments would be made through digital gateways. The records generated would help the Punjab police to remain strict on repeat offenders and even cancel their licences, he said.

Talking about the ‘virtual courts’ for traffic offenders — an initiative by the Supreme Court, Chauhan said that with the help of the courts, Ludhiana can be taken up as a project where digital challans generated from the control room by automatic cameras would be sent to the virtual courts where e-summons can be given to offenders on the phone and they can pay the fine through digital gateways attached to the virtual courts.

Elaborating further, Chauhan said that this would be the new addition to the challaning process and quick redressal to the problem which can be processed through digital mode. He also talked about the new training paradigm and methods of enforcement with instructions to traffic police personnel.

To bridge the gap between Police and the citizens of Punjab through the use of digital platforms, Punjab Police and Safety Alliance for Everyone (SAFE) Society has organized the webinar — first of its kind in the country under ‘Safe Punjab Programme’.

“COVID-19 pandemic has restricted the Punjab Police to interact in person with the citizens of the state while keeping them unaware about the practices adopted by Punjab Police,” said the ADGP Traffic.