Punjab Traffic Challans Cross 41 Lakh in Just Seven Months, But Revenue Collection Falls

Punjab has witnessed a dramatic rise in the number of traffic challans, with more than 41 lakh challans issued in the first seven months of 2026. However, despite the sharp increase in enforcement, the amount collected through fines has declined significantly. According to government data available on the Parivahan e-Challan platform, Punjab issued 41,37,775 challans between January 1 and August 6, 2026. This figure is more than double the total number of challans issued during the whole of 2025, when the state recorded 20,46,881 challans. The trend marks a major change in the way traffic rules are being enforced in the state. In 2021, Punjab issued 53,973 challans and collected Rs 5.30 crore in fines. The number fell slightly to 51,876 challans in 2022, before rising to 72,790 in 2023. A major jump was recorded in 2024, when the number of challans increased to 3.98 lakh, representing a rise of around 447 per cent in a single year. The state collected Rs 54.53 crore in revenue during the year. The pace accelerated further in 2025, when Punjab issued 20,46,881 challans, more than five times the previous year's figure. Revenue collection also reached a record Rs 123.04 crore during the year. However, the latest figures show a contrasting trend in 2026. While the number of challans has more than doubled compared with the entire 2025 figure, the state collected only Rs 49.02 crore between January 1 and August 6 this year. Government figures also show a sharp decline in the average revenue collected per challan. The average stood at Rs 1,370 in 2024, fell to Rs 601 in 2025, and dropped further to just Rs 118 in 2026 so far. This represents a decline of more than 91 per cent in the average revenue collected per challan over two years. At the same time, despite the number of challans doubling in 2026, the revenue generated from them has fallen by more than 60 per cent. The figures indicate that Punjab's traffic enforcement system has undergone a substantial expansion in the number of challans being issued, while the corresponding recovery of fines has not increased at the same pace.