BHUBANESWAR: The Transport department launched a state-wide drive to curb traffic violations in the last three days and issued 3,494 e-challans and collected fines worth Rs 54.82 lakh.
As part of the special drive, the regional transport offices (RTOs) across the state carried out enforcement against seven violations, overloading, goods vehicles carrying passengers, using mobile phone while driving, invalid fitness/permit/pollution certificates and over not affixing high security registration plate (HSRP). While around 977 e-challans were issued for not having pollution certificate, 942 were issued for fitness/permit, 214 for carrying passengers in goods vehicles, 176 for overloading, 130 for using mobile phone while driving and 204 for not affixing HSRP on the vehicles.
RTO-I in Bhubaneswar issued the maximum number of e-challans, 424, followed by RTO-II 212, Sundargarh 201, Kalahandi 170, Balangir 128, Nabarangpur 124 and Koraput 89. RTO-I also collected the maximum fine amounting to Rs 15.19 lakh, Balangir Rs 4.77 lakh, Balasore Rs 3.71 lakh, Sonepur Rs 3.30 lakh, Jharsuguda Rs 2.48 lakh, Rayagada Rs 2.46 lakh and Bhubaneswar RTO-II Rs 2.39 lakh.
The Transport department said to reduce road accidents and fatalities arising out of them, both awareness and enforcement activities are being carried out simultaneously. Each week, special enforcement drives are being conducted against different traffic violations, it added.