Pvt bus operators ask state govt to waive off ₹63 crore e-challans

Private bus operators in Mumbai have called for a policy requiring at least four pictures or CCTV evidence to justify e-challans, and for fines totalling around INR63 crore ($8.5m) to be waived. The Mumbai Bus Malak Sanghatana association said that 85% of its buses had been issued with a e-challans based on a single photograph of a number plate, which is insufficient evidence of a violation. The association argued that e-challans issued without following relevant rules under the Motor Vehicles Act, and those issued against parked vehicles during the Covid-19 lockdown, should be withdrawn.

Mumbai: Not satisfied with one-picture evidence for issuing e-challans, the private bus operators have urged the state government to have a policy in place wherein at least four pictures or CCTV evidence of their violation is used to justify being fined.

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Private bus operators’ association - Mumbai Bus Malak Sanghatana- has also asked the state government to waive off e-challans amounting to around ₹63 crore, collected between 2021-22.

In a recent meeting with the state government, the association said that 85% of their buses fined have just one photo clicked of the number plate which is not enough as evidence.

“Almost the entire fleet of over 15,000 buses have received e-challans. Of these 85% are those that have been levied fines based on just a single photograph clicked on mobile phones that shows the vehicle number. We have discussed it with the state authorities and urged them to remove these e-challans from the list as at least four photos should be there to prove it as evidence. We have no problem with those photos or images taken from CCTVs installed at traffic junctions that gives clarity,” said Malik Patel of Mumbai Bus Malak Sanghatana.

There are 37,000 odd vehicles running on ‘T-permit’ in the city and its metropolitan region. The permit allows vehicles to operate outside of the city for a limited period of time for business purposes or, carrying passengers. This includes over 15,000 buses catering to commercial offices and schools as well while the rest are the four wheelers registered with yellow number plates running on aggregator cab platforms, government duties or private offices.

The bus association claims that each bus owes at least ₹50-60,000 as e-challan in the last one year. This comes to ₹75 crore or so. If we take 85% as claimed by the Bus Malak Sanghatana, then the amount comes to around ₹63 crore which they want to be waived off from e-challans.

In a letter written by this Sanghatana, it stated that ‘All those e-challans that have been issued without following the relevant rules under the Motor Vehicles Act, need to be withdrawn. E-challans issued against private buses and commercial cars that were parked on road during Covid-19 induced lockdown should also be withdrawn’.

The Sanghatana claimed that during Covid-19, their buses were parked along the road side which had been issued e-challans. Their members claim that even those T-permit cars used during the pandemic, when vehicles didn’t stop at traffic signals etc, have also been levied fines. The association claims that during the two years of lockdown, the private buses and taxis were off road which got vehicle owners and drivers into terrible financial crises and so these e-challans should be pardoned.