A representative photo of a city traffic police officer issuing an e-challan
Pune: Transporters in the city on Thursday opposed the state cabinet’s amnesty scheme, offering up to a 20% concession on pending e-challans and threatened protests if the rebate is not increased to 50%. The state cabinet on Wednesday approved the Maharashtra Traffic Police E-Challan Amnesty Scheme 2026, offering a one-time concession of up to 20% on outstanding traffic violation penalties. Unpaid e-challans worth Rs 589.07 crore have accumulated for the vehicles under the jurisdiction of Pune city police since 2017, with 89.56 lakh challans pending as of Nov 4. Separately, the Regional transport office (RTO), Pune, records for financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26 showed pending e-challans worth Rs 22.68 crore. “We had protested earlier this year against the faulty e-challan system in Pune, after which state govt assured us of a 50% rebate under the amnesty scheme. A 20% concession will not provide meaningful relief to transporters,” he told TOI. I know a transporter from Nagpur who has accumulated penalties worth Rs 7 lakh. If the govt does not increase the rebate to 50%, we will resume protests and may even call a strike,” he said. Introduced in 2017, the e-challan system aimed to make traffic enforcement cashless and paperless. The one-state-one-challan system, followed in Feb 2019, enabled authorities to track and penalise traffic violations across Maharashtra. “We stand by our demand for a 50% rebate. On the Pune-Mumbai Expressway, each over-speeding violation attracts a Rs 4,000 fine. A bus operator facing fines of over Rs 7 lakh alleged that several e-challans were wrongly issued, including some based on photographs clicked by RTO officials on their personal cellphones. “A 20% rebate will offer little relief to bus operators, who are still struggling to recover from the losses suffered during the Covid pandemic.
“Time-bound payments could be introduced, with penalties increasing when there are delays. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Pune | Silver Rate in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune | Petrol Price in Pune | Diesel Price in Pune | CNG Price in Pune | LPG Price in Pune Stay updated with the latest Pune news.
Baba Shinde, president of the Maharashtra State Goods and Passenger Transport Association, told TOI that the association had written to chief minister seeking a higher rebate. If the rebate is not increased, transporters across segments will launch a united protest. ” Junawane told TOI . Sustainable mobility expert Pranjali Deshpande said the e-challan system should continue, but authorities need to make enforcement transparent and ensure timely recovery of fines. However, there must be a proper legal mechanism to notify offenders,” Deshpande said. The priority should be to establish an efficient system and ensure that e-challans are accurate and free of technical glitches,” she said. Many of these fines are illegal, and the govt must address the flaws in the system rather than expect operators to pay up,” he said.
The move is aimed at helping motorists clear the massive backlog of unpaid e-challans accumulated over the years. TOI also contacted the RTO for data on pending challans from previous years. Its response was awaited at the time of going to the press. “The system has been plagued by glitches, with arbitrary fines being issued. Rajan Junawane, president of the Pune Bus and Car Owners Association, accused govt of putting transporters under undue pressure through steep penalties and alleged errors in enforcement. Fines have increased manifold, while wrongful e-challans have affected both transporters and individual motorists. Speed cameras are often installed on slopes, forcing drivers to choose between watching the road and checking their speed. “In some European countries, authorities even visit people’s homes to recover fines. Download the TOI App.