Kolkata: The state government is set to implement its unified e-challan system, ‘Sanjog Portal’, for all traffic violations, mandating that all law enforcement and transport agencies across Bengal use the portal from June 1.
Developed by the Transport department in collaboration with the Information Technology and Electronics department, following a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary in February 2023, the Sanjog portal aims to streamline the issuance and payment of traffic fines, ensuring a completely paperless process. The system will allow citizens to view and pay pending fines online via the GRIPS portal. Additionally, it will notify vehicle registration and licensing authorities of any outstanding dues against a vehicle or driving licence. Although the portal has been live for some time, the Transport department observed that its full adoption has been slow, and pending fines have continued to accumulate.
To address this, Transport secretary Saumitra Mohan recently issued an order mandating that the West Bengal Police, Kolkata Police and the Transport department fully adopt the system.
Vehicle owners will receive an SMS containing the e-challan details and a link to the Sanjog Portal when a traffic violation is recorded. They can then pay the fine against one or all pending e-challans through the portal, with the amount credited directly to the state exchequer. Once a case is forwarded to the appropriate court and it will be updated on the portal.
Sanjog is integrated with the national Vahan and Sarathi portals. This integration will trigger a pop-up alert about any pending fines during the processing of motor vehicle-related transactions, whether online or over the counter. Although a six-month grace period will allow registering authorities to process applications despite outstanding fines, they will be obligated to notify applicants of these unpaid challans once the period lapses.
Furthermore, Auto Emission Testing Centres will not be allowed to issue Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCCs) to vehicles with uncleared challans. Similarly, no Certificate of Fitness (CF) will be processed on the Vahan portal for such vehicles. All transactions including driving licence related transactions will be withheld until the outstanding fines are paid or the case is disposed of.