Gurugram police use drones, ANPR to track lane violations, issue 47k fines

From Jan–Sept, 47,277 challans were issued, including 13,030 via expressway ANPR cameras; officials say stricter monitoring aims to curb accidents.

By Abhishek Bhatia

Traffic cops fined commuters ₹3.45 lakh in one day; 2025 challans till Sept nearly match last year’s lane violation tally of 61,780, data shows. (HT Archive)

Traffic police have intensified road safety measures by deploying drones to monitor lane discipline, officials said on Monday. Between January and September this year, 47,277 fines were issued to commuters through advanced aerial surveillance tools, according to Gurugram traffic officials.

Officials said violators who changed lanes hastily on busy routes, including expressways, were tracked and penalised in real time. “The Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed on the Jaipur-Delhi-Gurugram expressway (NH48) in July also assisted in monitoring lane violations and a total of 13,030 challans have been issued since then,” said assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Vikas Verma, public relations officer (traffic).

Verma added that a special drive last week resulted in 453 fines in a single day, amounting to ₹3.45 lakh. “To ensure safe travel on roads, we’ve intensified our monitoring exercise by issuing almost the same number of challans for lane violations until September this year as the total lane violation tickets last year,” he said.

According to official data, 61,780 tickets were issued for lane violations in 2024. A senior official said many drivers fail to notice road markings and signs, causing accidents. Similar drives are planned in the coming weeks, the official added.