Lahore Traffic Police have prepared a list of the top 100 e-challan defaulter vehicles as authorities move to intensify action against unpaid traffic fines across the city. Chief Traffic Officer Syed Abdul Rahim Sherazi directed e-challan recovery squads to launch strict action against defaulters during a meeting with the squads, handing over the list and ordering effective tracking with the support of Safe City Authority.
According to the Chief Traffic Officer, e-challans are currently being issued for more than 20 different traffic violations through Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology, which allows Safe City cameras to detect infractions and generate digital tickets without requiring a traffic warden to be present at the scene. He directed officials to immediately impound vehicles carrying unpaid e-challans at police stations, adding that special teams have been activated specifically for this recovery operation. Safe City, police service centers, and the vehicle licensing system have all been integrated to speed up enforcement action against habitual defaulters, with 14 key police services now restricted for individuals who have failed to clear their outstanding e-challans.
The latest crackdown builds on a series of escalating enforcement measures introduced by Lahore Traffic Police and the Punjab Safe Cities Authority over the past several months. In June, the two bodies had already formed 16 special teams dedicated specifically to identifying and pursuing e-challan defaulters, while an earlier operation in October last year saw more than 2,500 vehicles blacklisted for non-payment and ordered impounded through tracking via Safe City cameras across the city. Officials have consistently framed the automated nature of the ANPR based system as central to ensuring that challans are issued without discrimination, with the current push representing a further tightening of the enforcement mechanisms already in place.
The development comes as Punjab authorities have also started strict enforcement against motorcyclists riding without helmets, with the motorcycles of violators now being impounded for one day in addition to the fine itself. Officials said helmet use has been made mandatory across the province in an effort to protect citizens and reduce road accidents, with enforcement formally underway to push toward full compliance. Alongside this, a new digital challaning system has been introduced in Lahore and across Punjab more broadly, under which every traffic challan will now be issued together with complete supporting evidence to improve transparency in the enforcement process.
Punjab’s traffic fine structure was significantly revised in December last year, when fines were increased by between 400 and 1,000 percent as part of a broader set of reforms aimed at reducing road accidents and improving driver discipline across the province. With Safe City infrastructure now extended to seven major Punjab cities including Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, and Sargodha, officials continue to expand the reach of automated traffic enforcement, positioning the current defaulter crackdown as part of a longer term shift toward a fully digital, camera driven traffic management system across the province.
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