Gujarat to integrate automatic E-challan system with toll plazas for transport vehicles

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Transport Department is likely to introduce an automatic e-challan system at toll plazas to detect vehicles without valid documents such as Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates, tax, insurance, permits, or fitness documents. This system, expected to start in couple of months, will affect 10 lakh commercial vehicles across Gujarat, including 2.5 lakh from Ahmedabad in the initial phase.

The e-detection project aims to link the Vehicle-4 server with toll plaza servers. As vehicles pass through toll plazas, the system will scan them, and if any required documentation is missing, an e-challan will be issued immediately.

Key Details of the E-Challan System

• Implementation Timeline
  • The system will be implemented next month.
• Affected Vehicles
  • In the first phase, 10 lakh commercial vehicles across Gujarat, including 2.5 lakh from Ahmedabad, will be affected.
  • Private vehicles will be included in the second phase.
• System Functionality
  • The Vehicle-4 server will be linked with toll plaza servers.
  • Automatic scanning of vehicles will occur at toll plazas.
  • E-challans will be issued immediately if required documents are missing.

Current Process and Changes

• Current Process
  • Vehicle owners currently learn about missing documents during visits to the Regional Transport Office (RTO).
• Changes with New System
  • Immediate notification of e-challans as vehicles pass through toll plazas.
  • Increased compliance and reduced number of undocumented vehicles.

E-Challan System Operations

• Scope
  • The system will operate at all state toll plazas, including those on national highways.
• Checking E-Challans
  • Vehicle owners can check e-challans on the e-Parivahan website by entering their vehicle number.
• Payment Methods
  • Payments can be made via net banking, UPI, wallets, and debit cards on the transport website.
• Payment Deadline
  • No set deadline for paying e-challans, but they must be cleared before proceeding with a vehicle-related process.

Impact on Different Vehicle Types

• Initial Phase
  • Covers all commercial vehicles, including trucks, goods carriers, and private buses.
• Document Verification
  • If any required document is missing, an e-challan will be generated at the toll plaza.

Toll collection centres across national and state highways will be integrated into the project. In the first phase, operators at these toll plazas will upload data of all transport vehicles daily to the e-detection software.

​This data will be verified against the ‘Vehicle Software,’ and any transport vehicles with outstanding insurance, PUC certificates, permits, taxes, or fitness certificates will be issued challans through the ‘E-Challan’ software and fined. Vehicle owners will also receive SMS notifications on their registered mobile numbers. It is not clear at this point that whether the fine will be collected through FASTAG.

Representatives from commercial vehicle associations have raised concerns about the implementation, pointing out that they were not consulted beforehand. They highlighted ongoing issues such as delays in tax refunds and the need for the government to address outstanding dues. DeshGujarat