Karachi’s new e-challan system nets over Rs12.5m in six hours

The newly launched faceless e-challan regime in Karachi issued 2,662 tickets worth over Rs12.5 million within six hours on Tuesday, according to a traffic police report.

The report states that 419 challans were issued for over-speeding, three for driving on lane lines, four for stop-line violations and 1,535 for not wearing seatbelts, while 166 challans were issued for red-light violations and 507 for riding without helmets.

Four tickets were issued for wrong-way driving on one-way streets, seven for tinted windows, five for illegal parking, 32 for using mobile phones while driving, three for driving in the wrong direction and five for no-parking violations. Three challans were also issued for wrong-way driving.

The rollout followed the inauguration of the Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS) at the Central Police Office by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday, marking a milestone in the province’s digital transformation and governance reforms.

Shah explained that the new system replaces the outdated manual ticketing process with a fully automated e-ticketing mechanism, utilising advanced AI-integrated CCTV cameras to detect violations such as over-speeding, red-light jumping and helmet non-compliance. The system removes human discretion, confrontation and potential bias, ensuring fairness and accountability on the roads.

TRACS Sahulat centres at major traffic offices and police stations will now offer support to citizens for paying fines, clarifying violations and contesting challans. This groundbreaking initiative is set to transform the province’s approach to traffic management, exemplifying a strong commitment to transparency, modernisation and citizen well-being.

The integration of TRACS with key government databases, including excise & taxation, the driving licence system and NADRA e-Sahulat, and modern payment gateways allows citizens to view and pay traffic fines securely online or via their mobile devices. The TRACS app further simplifies the process, empowering users to monitor violations and settle challans in real-time.

In its initial phase, 200 cameras have been installed across Karachi, with plans to expand to 12,000 cameras city-wide and eventually to other districts in Sindh. The system’s integration with the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee ensures transparent oversight and redressal.

‘Organised loot’

Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi Emir Monem Zafar Khan censured the e-challan system, calling it “an organised loot of people”. Speaking at a press conference at the JI’s city headquarters Idara Noor-e-Haq, Khan demanded that the e-challan system be reviewed.

He said Karachi’s roads are in a condition that is worse than that of the Kutcha areas, yet the government imposes fines at international rates. In Punjab, he added, similar fines are 10 times lower.

He accused the Pakistan Peoples Party’s government in Sindh of filling its coffers through heavy fines instead of educating residents about traffic rules. He pointed out that this year alone, 700 residents lost their lives and over 10,000 were injured in traffic accidents.

He stressed that heavy vehicles — tankers, trailers and dumpers — have turned into death traps. “The entire e-challan system and traffic management must be reviewed comprehensively.”

He announced that his party’s grand public gathering would be held in Lahore from November 21 to November 23 under the slogan ‘Badal Do Nizam Ko’ (Change the System). He appealed to the people of Karachi and the people across Pakistan to join with their families and become part of the JI’s peaceful movement against “the system of injustice and exploitation”.