The Karnataka government Thursday announced a special concession scheme allowing vehicle owners to clear their pending traffic fines at half the original amount.
According to the government order, a 50 per cent discount will be offered on fines registered under e-challans by the traffic police department that remain unpaid. The scheme will be valid from August 23 to September 12.
“Vehicle owners can check and settle their dues through multiple platforms, including the Karnataka State Police (KSP) app, the BTP ASTraM app launched by the Bengaluru traffic police, or by providing their vehicle registration number at the nearest traffic police station. Payments can also be made at the Traffic Management Centre and via the Karnataka One or Bangalore One portals,” said a government source.
The government said the move is aimed at helping citizens clear long-pending challans while improving overall compliance with traffic rules.
In 2023, the Karnataka government introduced the 50 per cent traffic fine concession scheme on three different occasions. The first phase was announced between February 3 and February 11, when the government offered a rebate on e-challan traffic violations for cases registered on or before February 11. Conceived as a one-time measure to clear the mounting backlog of unpaid fines, the scheme turned out to be highly effective. During this period, nearly 52 lakh cases were settled, and the state collected close to Rs 152 crore in fines.
Following the overwhelming public response, the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA) recommended an extension of the scheme. Acting on this, the government issued an order to continue the concession from March 4 to March 18, providing citizens another opportunity to clear their pending challans at half the amount.
Later in the year, the government decided to reintroduce the concession for a third time. On July 5, it announced that the 50 per cent rebate would once again be made available and kept the scheme open until September 9. Like in the earlier phases, this extension was also applicable only to cases registered on or before February 11, 2023.