Traffic cops yet to master e-challans

Missed deadlines and inordinate delays have become synonymous with the Delhi Police’s dream e-challan project. Subhendu Ray reports.

Missed deadlines and inordinate delays have become synonymous with the Delhi Police’s dream e-challan project.

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After getting rid of technical shortcomings and administrative road blocks over the past few months, the project is yet to become operational. Reason: the hand-held e-challan device appears too complicated for the technically challenged traffic policemen to operate.

An e-challan is an electronic format of the challan that will replace the traditional manual challan book. Through this handheld device, the police will challan traffic violators online. Violators will have the option of paying through credit or debit card.

Traffic police personnel, however, are having difficulty in understanding how the instrument functions. “We are having a tough time training them on how to use the device,” a traffic police officer said.

The project had initially run into several delays and finally was scheduled to be operational in January. The deadline was then pushed to March.

Traffic police chief Taj Hassan is now not ready to offer a fresh deadline for this.

“Service provider Airtel has already started delivering devices but we can launch the project only when our men become competent enough to operate them,” Hassan said.

The police are also yet to tie up with any bank to provide payment gateways for realising challans through credit or debit cards, said officials.

Sources said it may take at least a month to train the cops. Earlier in February, during a trial run, it was found that the software did not respond properly in bright sunlight. Once this problem was sorted out, the project faced another roadblock as Airtel had sought more time to supply the gadgets.

The e-challan system had got the final nod from the state government in November last year.