Rajesh Kumar Sharma, a resident of Sector 36 in Greater Noida, said he received one challan on Saturday and the other on Sunday. The timings at which the two fines were issued were apart by only a minute, he said.
A Greater Noida resident alleged that he was issued two e-challans issued within one minute for ‘parking the vehicle dangerously at a public place.’
Rajesh Kumar Sharma, a resident of Sector 36 in Greater Noida, said he received one challan on Saturday and the other on Sunday. The timings at which the two fines were issued were apart by only a minute, he said.
Kumar said on Saturday afternoon he had gone to Pari Chowk to drop a relative in his Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza car. “I parked the car near Pari Chowk police post and was waiting for bus for Aligarh with my relative. My relative got a bus and he left. Then, I got into my car and was driving back home. On my way home, I received a message with an e-challan worth Rs 500 for a traffic violation at 1.03 pm. The message stated the fine was for parking the vehicle dangerously at a public place,” he said.
On realising that he had violated a traffic rule, Sharma said, he made online challan payment. However, he received another e-challan message on Sunday informing him that he was fined Rs 1,000 for the same violation. Sharma said the second challan was issued at 1:04pm on Saturday which he received on Sunday. “I was surprised to get the second challan for the same violation. The two challans were issued in the gap of one minute. The traffic police personnel had not asked me to move away from my vehicle,” he said.
As per existing rules, the fine for first violation for parking vehicle dangerously at public places is Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 for their next violation.
“The pictures in the two challan copies show the car was parked at the same spot,” Sharma said.
Sharma said he visited Sector Beta II police station but his complaint was not filed. “The police personnel asked me to visit the Traffic Police office in Noida Sector 14-A for grievance redressal,” he said. He then filed a complaint on the IGRS (Integrated Grievance Redressal System) portal.
Ravindra Vashishtha, Noida Traffic Inspector, said the issuing of two fines might have occurred due to a technical fault. The traffic officials said it is also possible that while the first fine was issued by traffic policemen and the vehicle was not removed, some other policemen issued the second challan.
“The aggrieved person can file a complaint and we will cancel the second challan if issued for the same violation,” Vashishtha said.
Traffic police have also issued a helpline number (7065100100 for WhatsApp) to get the check the fine before making a payment. “For cases like these, we have launched a Whatsapp helpline where people can get in touch with us for clarification,” Vashishtha said.
The Noida police issues fines on the basis of the rates that were revised in June this year by the Uttar Pradesh government. The amount to be paid for most of the fines is lesser than the rates prescribed in the newly amended Motor Vehicles Act. The amended act has not come into effect in UP as the state government has not issued a notification for its implementation.