Calcutta police can now track traffic cases against any vehicle online, allowing graded fines to be imposed for offences. Vehicle owners too can track pending cases and pay fines online. Metro tells you how.
How do I track cases against my car?
• Log on to the official website of Calcutta traffic police: www.kolkatatrafficpolice.gov.in
• Click on a hyperlink on the left side of the screen, in a coloured box saying: Make Online Payment
• A small box will pop up at the top of the screen saying: "you are going out of NIC domain. Press OK to confirm or Cancel to remain in the current page"
• Click OK
• A new screen will appear
• Fill in your vehicle's registration number and the last five characters of the chassis number (check the car's blue book/smartcard)
• Submitting your email id and mobile number is optional
• Click "Submit"
• A list of offences pending against your vehicle will appear on the screen
• The list would include the case number, location, date and time of offence, the section under which the violation falls and the status of the case - that it is pending with the police
• Cases pending with the court will not be listed on the website.
How do I pay the fine?
• By clicking on an option saying "Pay" against each of the cases
• You will have to pay individually for each of the cases
• Once you click on the Pay button, you will be directed to options for using your credit/debit card or netbanking facility
• If you are not comfortable doing it online, you can also pay the fine by physically visiting any of the 25 traffic guards across the city or at Lalbazar
• You can also pay the fine at specific branches of banks as mentioned at www.kolkatatrafficpolice.gov.in
What if I do not pay the fine?
Going by the book, if a challan remains unpaid for 15 days, the case is shifted to the court. However, in practice, unpaid challans often remain with the police for weeks and months (even years). But once the case is shifted to the court, you will have to go to the court and pay the fine. Non-payment might mean a notice from the court. Also, you will not be able to sell your car if fines remain unpaid.
However, with the introduction of the graded fine system, the quantum of fine for an offence will be determined by the number of offences committed earlier. For example, if you have four citation cases pending against you, your next offence will be counted as your fifth offence. Earlier, each citation case drew a penalty of Rs 100. Now it will soon be Rs 100 for the first offence, Rs 250 for the second offence and Rs 300 for the third and every subsequent offence.
What do I do if the case is pending in court?
To know if any traffic-violation case relating to your vehicle is pending in court, you can visit any of the 25 traffic guards across the city and seek help to check their records. Fines for cases pending with the court can be cleared at the court or through Lok Adalats held at the city civil court, usually once every two months, to address pending traffic violation cases. The traffic police website mentions the date of the next Lok Adalat.
What if I think I am being wrongly fined? Like say, 'I was out of town when this case was registered...'
You can visit the traffic department at Lalbazar to register a complaint seeking proof of the offence committed. Cops may then refer to CCTV footage to verify whether the offence was actually committed. They can also take into consideration an alibi that you might present.
How is a challan sent to me? And how soon after the offence will it reach me?
Challans are sent through courier service. The police do not preserve the receipts because of the huge numbers. Every citation case recorded on the road is supposed to be updated with the traffic department at Lalbazar within 24 hours of the offence. The challan is supposed to leave Lalbazar in the next couple of days and reach you within a week. The ground reality, however, is different with challans often reaching vehicle owners months later. But not getting a challan cannot be an excuse for not paying a fine, say police.
Why can't I get an alert on my email about a traffic fine?
There is no such system in place now, but the proposal is apparently under consideration.
What if I commit an offence under another police commissionerate?
As of today, only the citation cases committed in the jurisdiction of Calcutta police can be seen on the website. According to the graded-fine plan, Calcutta, Bidhannagar, Barrackpore and Howrah police will soon share traffic offence data online. Once that happens, traffic offences in any of these four police districts can be tracked online.
