Bhubaneswar: In a state-wide enforcement drive, the Odisha Transport Department has issued 3,494 challans and collected Rs 54,82,462 in fines over the past three days.
The special enforcement, conducted under the directives of Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena, aimed to curb road safety violations such as overloading, carrying passengers in goods vehicles, using mobile phones while driving, and lacking fitness, permit, and pollution certificates.
The drive, led by Principal Secretary Usha Padhee and supervised by Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur, saw RTO teams across the state issuing e-challans to violators. A total of 176 vehicles were challaned for overloading, 942 for fitness and permit issues, 977 for pollution certificate violations, 214 for carrying passengers in goods vehicles, 130 for using mobile phones while driving, and 1,040 for high-security number plate rule violations.
The enforcement drive was carried out across various RTOs, with Bhubaneswar-1 RTO collecting the maximum fine of Rs 15,19,191, followed by Balangir RTO (Rs 4,77,865) and Balasore RTO (Rs 3,71,631). The department has decided to further strengthen the special enforcement mechanism and expand awareness programs to reduce road accidents.
