Lahore Traffic Police have launched a sweeping crackdown on vehicles defaulting on their e-challans, acting on directives issued by CTO Lahore Syed Abdul Raheem Sherazi. Police have set up checkpoints across the city specifically to intercept non compliant vehicles, and have released a list identifying the top 100 offenders as part of the enforcement drive.
According to figures shared by CTO Lahore, more than 4,000 vehicles currently have over 100 pending e-challans each, highlighting the scale of unresolved traffic violations across the city. Among these, 307 vehicles have accumulated more than 200 pending challans, while 10 vehicles have crossed the 300 mark, pointing to a pattern of repeated and largely unaddressed violations tied to a relatively small subset of vehicles. Officials noted that more than 100 vehicles have violated traffic laws not just occasionally but hundreds of times, with over 20 violations for many of these vehicles now being tracked and challaned automatically through Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras positioned across the city.
As part of the crackdown, CTO Lahore has directed that any vehicle found in default of its e-challans be immediately impounded at the nearest police station, with special teams deployed specifically to carry out this operation. Defaulters will also be barred from accessing 14 key police services, including driving licence processing, character certificates, and various verification services, adding a significant administrative consequence beyond the immediate impounding of the vehicle itself. This approach appears designed to create a stronger deterrent by linking unresolved traffic fines directly to a range of everyday government services that citizens routinely rely on.
To support the broader crackdown, Safe City cameras, Police Khidmat Markaz centres, and the licensing system have all been integrated into a single connected network, allowing traffic violations to be cross checked in real time across multiple government touchpoints. Authorities have also intensified action against individuals who tamper with number plates in an effort to evade e-challans, addressing a specific method some drivers have reportedly used to avoid detection by ANPR based enforcement systems. The integration of these previously separate systems into a unified network reflects a broader move toward using connected digital infrastructure to close enforcement gaps that had allowed a relatively small number of habitual violators to accumulate hundreds of unresolved traffic challans over time.
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