ONL Bureau : In a bid to streamline traffic enforcement and promote road safety, the Government of Odisha has announced a “One-Time Settlement Scheme” for pending electronic challans (e-challans) issued under the Motor Vehicles Act.

The scheme applies to challans pending as of July 31, 2025, and will remain valid for six months from the date of notification.

The initiative comes amid concerns over a large number of unresolved e-challans that have been forwarded to courts but remain unacknowledged. To address this, the government has constituted a high-level committee chaired by the Principal Secretary of the Law Department. The committee will recommend modalities for withdrawing such cases from court proceedings.

The scheme allows violators to settle their dues by paying reduced fines, as outlined in the official annexure. However, challans for which Prosecution Reports (PRs) have already been submitted to courts are excluded from this benefit.

The Transport Department, in collaboration with police authorities, has been issuing e-challans through manual enforcement and automated systems like the Intelligent Enforcement Management System (IEMS). Despite these efforts, compliance levels remain below expectations.

Officials emphasized that failure to settle pending challans during the scheme’s validity will result in full penalties as prescribed under the Motor Vehicles Act. Additionally, vehicles with unresolved challans will be restricted from certain transactions under the Act.

The government aims to recover outstanding fines efficiently while encouraging safer driving habits. The Transport Department will monitor the scheme’s implementation and intensify enforcement against repeat offenders.

(Syndicated News Feed)