Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik on Monday directed officials to stop issuing traffic challans to vehicles parked within private premises, following complaints that such fines were being generated through the Pune Traffic Police’s PTP mobile application.
The directive was issued during a meeting with the Maharashtra Transport Action Committee and senior officials. The meeting was convened after transport associations across the state raised objections to the PTP (Pune Traffic Police) app’s functioning.
The application enables on-duty traffic personnel to photograph violations such as illegal parking and obstruction, upload the images to a central system, and automatically generate e-challans against registered vehicle owners.
Although the app was introduced to enhance transparency and reduce manual intervention, transporters alleged that vehicles parked inside authorised private compounds, warehouses, transport offices and designated parking areas were also being penalised.
Keshav Kshirsagar raised the issue at the meeting, calling it harassment and a misuse of technology. Representatives of various transport bodies, including Prasanna Patwardhan, Nitin Pawar and Kiran Desai, were present and submitted complaints.
“We are not against technology or strict enforcement. But vehicles parked properly on private premises are being issued challans as if they were obstructing public roads. This undermines the credibility of the enforcement system. We demand an immediate audit and cancellation of wrongful fines,” Kshirsagar said.
{{/usCountry}}“We are not against technology or strict enforcement. But vehicles parked properly on private premises are being issued challans as if they were obstructing public roads. This undermines the credibility of the enforcement system. We demand an immediate audit and cancellation of wrongful fines,” Kshirsagar said.
{{/usCountry}}Sarnaik termed the penalisation of legally parked vehicles “clearly unjust.” “Technology should ensure discipline and transparency, not trouble citizens and transporters. I have directed authorities to review the system immediately and stop issuing such challans. Accountability must be fixed wherever lapses are found,” he said, adding that he had sought clarification from the Home Department.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Himmat Jadhav said the app was designed to improve road safety and streamline enforcement. “If specific complaints have arisen regarding private parking spaces, we will verify them thoroughly. We aim to ensure enforcement remains fair, accurate and citizen-friendly,” he said.