JOIN USThe much-awaited and ambitious project of Delhi traffic police, e-challan has once again failed to meet the deadline. The traffic police were to launch the e-challan system by this month.
Sources in the traffic police said the project will get further delayed as the vendor chosen for supplying the gadgets — telecom operator Airtel — has sought more time to deliver the instruments.
Traffic cops refused to give the next deadline. “The project has missed the deadline. At this stage it is difficult to give a deadline as to when the project will be launched,” said Anil Shukla, additional commissioner of police (traffic).
As per the agreement, Airtel has to provide 1,200 e-challan instruments to cover the entire city, apart from giving technical support for operating the gadgets.
An e-challan is an electronic format of the challan that will replace the traditional manual challan book. The gadgets are to be issued to every traffic head constable, assistant sub-inspector, sub-inspector and inspector after the required training.
The vendor company said the project will be started at the earliest.
The introduction of e-challan system — which will digitise all the traffic violations as well as ensure stiffer prosecution for regular offenders — has been in the offing for quite some time. The hi-tech way of prosecuting defaulters, in the past, was delayed on procedural as well as technical grounds.
After getting the nod from the state government in November last year, the cops wanted to launch the scheme during a special drive against drunk driving in central Delhi on New Year’s eve. But the plan did not materialise as devices were reportedly not ready.
In January they introduced some of the gadgets on a trial basis in Parliament Street area of central Delhi. But, the gadgets developed technical problems. Sources in traffic police said the hand held device encountered problem while working in sunlight.