Chandigarh: In a major shift in traffic enforcement, Chandigarh traffic police will no longer stop vehicles or issue challans manually on the roads. Instead, all challans will now be generated through surveillance cameras installed across the city.
Director General of Police (DGP) Sagar Preet Hooda has issued strict orders stating that traffic personnel deployed at intersections and traffic light points will only manage traffic flow and will not have the authority to stop or penalize any vehicle.
Officials said that any traffic police personnel found stopping vehicles in violation of the order will face disciplinary action. The instructions were issued during a high-level meeting chaired by the DGP at the police headquarters in Sector 9, following which the traffic wing was formally informed of the new directive.
Under the Chandigarh Smart City Project, 2,130 CCTV cameras have been installed so far, with 1,433 connected directly to the police control room. In addition, 159 of the 1,015 cameras under the Integrated Traffic Management System (ITMS) are positioned at 40 key locations and are capable of detecting red-light violations.
Traffic challans will now be automatically issued to violators identified through these systems.
Residents have welcomed the move, pointing out that with such extensive surveillance infrastructure in place, there is no longer a need for police to physically stop vehicles on the roads.
To further streamline traffic management, the city has also introduced the Automatic Queue Detection System (QDS) at 163 locations. This system adjusts traffic signal timings based on real-time vehicle density, enhancing overall efficiency at major intersections.
