e-Challan Chennai – How to Pay Traffic Challan Online in Chennai

Chennai, previously known as Madras, is the capital city of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The capital is the most populous city of Tamil Nadu and the city with the greatest vehicle congestion in the country. The urban traffic of Chennai is much higher than those of cities like Mumbai and Delhi.
The Motor Vehicles Act of 1988 was revised and implemented in 2019. The main motive of the central government is to reduce the numerous traffic violations in the country, including the metropolitan city of Chennai. The guilty will now be required to pay a hefty fine or traffic challan per their degree of violation.
Earlier, the offender had to physically pay the fines by going to the police station. But now, to reduce police-offender interaction, the government has introduced an e-challan in Chennai. In this article, we will focus on the e-challan in Chennai and its step-by-step procedure.
A challan is an official form or document issued regarding an invoice. In simple terms, it is a payment format. When a challan is electronically generated, it is labeled as E-Challan.
Also Read: How To Transfer Ownership Of Vehicle In Chennai
An e-challan is an electronic format of a challan issued by the local traffic police to the violators. This computer-generated fine allows the offender to pay their challan online through the officially-designated portals.
This process has been introduced to make the procedure of challan more convenient, transparent, and efficient. It has reduced any leniency offered to the offenders as well as possible scenarios of bribery.
Also Read: Learning Licence Kerala – Learning Licence Online & Offline Apply in Kerala
In Chennai, an e-challan imposed on violators is directly sent to the registered mobile number with the help of advanced surveillance cameras. Let’s learn how the process works-
An officially issues traffic challan consists of the following details-
Being the most populous and dense city of Tamil Nadu, Chennai is bound to face countless road violations – some resulting in fatal accidents. Hence, an array of traffic rules and regulations has been put in place to reduce such unwelcome situations.
A list of some of these rules to be followed strictly by the citizens is given below :
Let’s look over the steps on how to conveniently check your traffic fine and challan status online from anywhere in Chennai:
In Chennai, to make the process of challan payment less complicated, three ways of e-challan payment have been allowed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways:
You should receive a message to confirm your payment
You can now pay your challan easily via Paytm website or the Paytm mobile app
Parivahan website can be used for checking as well as paying traffic challan. The process is as follows:
You should get a confirmation message once the payment is successful.
The Ministry of Highways and Road Transport amended the following traffic challan list in Chennai in 2019 in accordance with the Motor Vehicle Act of 1988. This is the list of some of the newly updated violations:
Offense/Violation | Penalty |
Driving without a valid license | 2-3 Wheelers – Rs. 1,000; Light Motor Vehicle(LMV) – Rs. 2,000; Others – Rs. 5,000 |
Driving a vehicle that has not been registered | 2-3 Wheelers – Rs. 2,000; LMV – Rs. 3,000; Others – Rs. 5,000 |
Driving a vehicle without Insurance | 2-3 Wheelers – Rs. 1,000; LMV – Rs. 2,000; Others – Rs. 4,000 |
Driving without wearing a helmet | Rs. 500 |
Not allowing emergency vehicles to overtake | Rs. 1,000 |
Overloading | Rs. 5,000. In addition to this, Rs. 2,000 per ton that exceeds the limit |
Following is the list of revised traffic fines and penalties in Chennai levied from September 2019:
Violation/Offence | Revised Penalty Amount |
Violation of Stop Line, even by a marginal extent, while the traffic signal is red. | Rs. 500 |
Riding/driving without a Pollution Certificate | Rs. 2000 |
Crossing the toll plaza without FAS Tag | 2 x the toll fees |
Violation of Air Pollution Standards by a vehicle releasing excessive smoke | Rs. 2000 |
Red signal jumping | Rs. 1000 |
Penalty for not wearing rear seat bet by co-passenger | Rs. 1000 |
Riding a 2 Wheeler while wearing sandal, chappal or flip flops | Rs. 1000 |
Red light jumping plus dangerous driving | Rs. 5000 |
Violation of orders given by on-duty traffic police officer | Rs. 2000 |
Double fine which is levied in case of overspeeding along with dangerous driving | Rs. 7000 |
Drunken driving | Rs. 10000 + Court challan. In addition to this, your vehicle might also be detained |
Using a mobile phone while driving by the driver | Rs. 5000 |
Driving without the Color Coded Sticker or High-Security Number Plate | Fine amount can reach up to Rs. 10,000 |
Taking a selfie while driving a car | Rs. 2000 |
Using a private car for commercial purposes/ offering lift to unknown person | Rs. 2000 |
Minor caught driving any vehicle | Fine of Rs. 25,000. In addition to this, the car owner will be sentenced to 3 year imprisonment |
Front Bumper guard/ Bull Bar | Rs. 1000 |
Riding/driving without a valid Driving Licence | For 2-3 wheelers: Rs. 1000
For Four Wheelers and light motor vehicles (LMV): Rs. 2000 For other types of vehicles except the two above-mentioned types: Rs. 5000 |
Riding/driving a vehicle that is not registered | For 2-3 wheelers: Rs. 2000
For Four Wheelers and Light Motor Vehicles(LMV): Rs. 3000 For other types of vehicles except the two types mentioned-above: Rs. 5000 |
Overloading of any Vehicle (except two-wheelers) | Rs. 5000 plus Rs. 2000 per extra tonne |
Breaking the fixed speed limit | For 2-3 wheelers, 4-wheelers and light motor vehicles: Rs. 1000
For other types of vehicles except those mentioned above: Rs. 2000 |
Driving/riding an uninsured vehicle | For only 2 wheelers, the new penalty amount is Rs. 1000
For vehicles other than two wheelers, the fine remains the same i.e, Rs. 2000. |
Not wearing seatbelts while driving | ₹500 |
Uncooperative towards enforcing traffic authorities | ₹1000 |
Not allowing emergency vehicles such as ambulances, police cars, etc. to pass | ₹1000 |
Two-wheeler vehicle overloading | ₹500 |
Riding without wearing helmets | ₹500 |
Rash Driving | For 2-3 wheelers: Rs. 1500
For 4-wheelers and light motor vehicles: Rs. 3000 For other types of vehicles except the above-mentioned ones: Rs. 5000 In case of second time and subsequent offenses: Rs. 10,000 |
Other Offences |
|
|
Rs 500 for each of the offenses. |
The introduction of e-challan has allowed citizens to enjoy many benefits, including being able to pay traffic fines from the comfort of your home. Although, this should now distract us from our responsibility as citizens of maintaining the decorum when travelling via roads. One should always adhere to the traffic rules and regulations and take care of themselves as well as others on the way.
A: An e-challan can be issued for any activity that is against traffic rules and regulations. The amount may be hefty depending upon the degree of violation. Offenses include - drunk driving, overspeeding, not carrying the necessary documents, etc.
A: The Chennai traffic police have the authority over the collection and power to impose traffic fines.
A: If the e-challan is not paid within the stipulated time:
1. A constable visits the registered address as a warning
2. If the challan is still not paid, the offender is summoned to court to justify themselves in front of a judge
3. Upon still not paying, the offender’s license is suspended
A: You can check your e-challan status in Chennai by logging in to the https://parivahan.gov.in/parivahan/ website
A: Yes, and upon breaking this rule, a challan of Rs. 1,000/- is issued, and the offender’s license is suspended for 3 months in Chennai
A: No individual is an exception to the rule of avoiding using mobile phones while driving. One should park the vehicle on the side and attend to the call.
A: Some serious violations that can enforce penalties are
1. Driving without a registered license
2. Driving under the influence of intoxication
3. Juvenile driving,
4. Driving without a helmet or seatbelt
A: Yes, you can register your active mobile number to receive e-challan notifications. In Chennai, the e-challan notifications are primarily provided via SMS on the registered mobile number.
A: Yes, the online payment method via the official websites is completely safe. However, one should beware of fraudulent websites and scammers on the web.
A: Yes, according to the newly revised and implemented Motor Vehicle Act of 1988, driving without renewing comprehensive car insurance imposes a penalty of 2,000rs and 3 months of imprisonment on the offender. Upon repeating, it is a penalty of 4,000rs with 3 additional months of imprisonment.
A: Driving without a seatbelt is one of the serious offenses and imposes a challan of Rs. 1,000/- on the offender
A: When you break a traffic rule, the activity is caught on CCTV and is noted down by the local officers, who then impose an e-challan on you.
A: There are approximately 38 types of traffic challan that can be issued upon any violation of traffic laws.