JK cracks down on traffic violations: 10.39 lakh e-challans issued this year

Suhail Khan

Srinagar, Oct 06: Jammu and Kashmir government has issued 10.39 lakh e-challans this year, with enforcement agencies increasingly turning to technology-driven traffic management and moving away from manual checks, a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo was told.

The meeting reviewed the Road Safety Action Plan, accident data, the i-RAD platform, black spot rectification, trauma care and digital enforcement across the Union Territory.

An official said a detailed project report for a Rural Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) has been prepared to extend technology-based enforcement to rural areas, covering 2,144 digital devices across 25 critical corridors and 195 rural junctions.

CS Dulloo directed executing agencies to prioritise time-bound rectification of identified black spots and hazardous stretches, saying every engineering deficiency must be addressed through short- and long-term measures.

He asked all District Road Safety Committees (DRSCs), chaired by District Magistrates, to meet mandatorily every month, monitor i-RAD real-time accident dashboards, review accident-prone locations and ensure prompt rectification of residual infrastructure hazards.

Transport Department Secretary Avny Lavasa informed the meeting that multi-departmental interventions had led to a sharp decline in fatalities — from 1,090 in 2024 to 756 up to mid-September 2026. Officials said the trend was in line with targets to cap fatalities at 600 or below by 2027 and 450 by 2030. Accidents have also fallen to 4,222 this period against the 2024 baseline of 5,808.

Of 367 black spots identified by the Transport Commissioner, 165 have been audited by central agencies and 68 fully rectified. Under the Road Safety Fund, an audit of 1,433 roads has been completed and Rs 11.60 crore released to 15 districts for immediate corrective interventions.