Year After Launch, E-Challan Drive on Mumbai-Pune Expressway Faces Flak for Low Recovery, Legal Hurdles
Mumbai/Pune, 17th June 2025: Nearly a year since the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) was implemented on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway to modernize road safety enforcement, the initiative is drawing sharp criticism over its poor fine recovery rate and alleged procedural lapses.
Despite e-challans worth over ₹269 crore being issued for various traffic violations since July 2024, only a fraction—less than 10%—has been collected, prompting backlash from transporters and triggering scrutiny over the system’s legal and operational integrity.
Huge Penalties, Meagre Payments
According to official data, from July 19, 2024, to March 2025, ITMS flagged approximately 17.07 lakh traffic offences, generating challans totalling ₹269.47 crore. However, only 1.51 lakh of those fines—worth ₹25.17 crore—were actually paid, reflecting a recovery rate of just 9.33%.
The numbers have raised alarm bells among industry stakeholders, especially given that enforcement has largely targeted heavy and commercial vehicles, which form the backbone of the expressway’s traffic.
Hi-Tech Infrastructure, Low Public Trust
The ITMS project was set up under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), in coordination with the Highway Police and the Regional Transport Office (RTO). The system includes 40 gantries fitted with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, weigh-in-motion sensors, vehicle classification systems, speed monitors, and weather sensors. A central Command and Control Centre monitors violations in real time.
The system is programmed to detect 17 different types of infractions, with the most common being overspeeding, lane-cutting, using a mobile phone while driving, not wearing seatbelts, and entering from the wrong direction.
The highest number of violations were recorded in:
November 2024: 2.81 lakh challans
December 2024: 2.66 lakh
January 2025: 2.56 lakh
However, several transporters have alleged discrepancies in the challans issued and raised questions about their accuracy.
RTI Reveals Legal Gaps, Delayed Approvals
A Right to Information (RTI) request has exposed that the ITMS began operations without securing necessary certifications, in violation of Rule 167 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. The mandatory device approvals reportedly came only after the system’s launch—on July 16, 2024—with no technical validation prior to rollout.
Outsourcing Safety?
Proctech Solutions ITMS LLP, the private company operating the system, was incorporated in December 2021. Records show it was paid ₹57.94 crore for generating 8.84 lakh challans between July and December 2024—translating to ₹654.90 earned per challan (₹555 plus ₹99.90 GST).
During the same period, 18.25 lakh challans were issued, but 6.25 lakh were later rejected during internal checks, raising concerns about due process and data verification.
Transport Sector Slams Project
Voices from the logistics and transport sectors have condemned the system, accusing authorities of prioritizing revenue generation over genuine safety.
Critics further argue that the system unfairly targets four-wheeled and heavy vehicles while two- and three-wheelers—often the most vulnerable and chaotic on Indian roads—remain outside the scanner.
Growing Demand for Audit
Amid mounting criticism, experts and transport associations are urging the Maharashtra government to conduct an independent review of the ITMS project. The low recovery rate, procedural irregularities, and concerns about the operator’s credentials have cast a shadow over what was initially pitched as a model for smart and safe highways.
