Easy ways to pay traffic challan online and offline

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In India, traffic rules are enforced by the government in accordance with the Rules of the Road Regulations, 1989. These regulations dictate certain road safety guidelines that must be followed by every driver on the road. Any violation of these rules is punishable by the law. The type of punishment one can get is based on the severity of the violation. If the violation is extremely severe, the offender could even face jail time. However, for minor traffic violations, cash penalties are imposed by law enforcement bodies.

If you are a vehicle owner, chances are you might have encountered a situation where you had to pay fines for traffic violations. The officer in charge of regulating the traffic will issue a challan citing the offense and the fine to be paid. The offender must collect the challan and pay the required fines either in court or through other avenues. Unless the offense is severe, there is no need to visit the court and argue the case. It is possible to pay these fines online or offline based on one’s convenience. The fine must be paid within the deadline, or additional penalties will be imposed for late payment.

Let’s take a look at the different ways in which one can settle the traffic challans.

How to pay online

If you are a busy working professional, you might find it difficult to spare time on a working day to visit the traffic police station to pay fines. Due to these inconveniences, the online mode is the easiest way to pay these fines. The step-by-step instructions for paying traffic fines online are listed as follows:

• Visit the website of your state’s transport department. For instance, if you are from Bangalore, you may have to visit the website https://btp.gov.in/Default.aspx to pay the traffic fines.
• Once you visit the website, you can find a section where visitors can pay traffic challans.
• Under this section, you will be allowed to choose the type of violation for which you want to pay the fines.
• Once you click on the concerned link, you will be asked to enter the details of your vehicle.
• Here, you must enter your vehicle’s registration number and search for any traffic vehicle challans on the vehicle.
• The outstanding challans will be displayed in this section.
• Here, you can choose the preferred payment mode and pay the outstanding fines.
• You may use any kind of payment mode including debit cards, credit cards, Paytm, net banking, UPI, etc.
• Once the payment is made, the challan will be cleared and you can download a receipt for the payment.

How to make payments offline

While online payment is the most convenient method, it is not the only mode available for us. If you find it more convenient to pay the fines offline, you may proceed to do so by visiting the nearest traffic police station. The step-by-step instructions for the process are listed as follows:

• If you have a citation for a traffic violation, you need to carry the challan while visiting the traffic police station.
• Enquire with the officers regarding where you can pay the fines.
• You can pay cash for the challan and get the receipt for the payment.
• Once you have paid the fines, the challan will be cleared by the traffic police department.

Things to note

If you are ever caught with a traffic violation, you must note the following things:

• It is not a good idea to flee from the scene after committing a traffic violation.
• Police officers can note your vehicle number and send the challan to your home address.
• There are traffic cameras in many cities across the country to record any instances of traffic violations.
• It is not a good idea to accumulate traffic challans. It is always better to pay the fines immediately and clear these challans.
• Safety is extremely important whenever you drive. You need to follow these guidelines without fail to avoid traffic violations and penalties.

Conclusion

With the advent of digitisation, e-challans are considered to be the next big thing in traffic violations. Most traffic cops in cities are already equipped with swiping machines to collect spot fines from offenders. This reduces the chances of bribery. Once you have paid your fines, you may get a printed receipt for the paid amount. The availability of multiple modes of payment makes things easier for people to pay their outstanding fines.