Patna: The Bihar government has tightened its stance on traffic rule violations, announcing stricter penalties for motorists who fail to clear pending fines within the stipulated time. Under the new rules introduced by the state Transport Department, the deadline for depositing traffic fines has been reduced from 90 days to 45 days.
Officials said motorists who fail to pay fines within the revised timeframe could face suspension or cancellation of key vehicle documents, including Driving Licences (DL), Registration Certificates (RC), insurance policies and Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates.
The department warned that habitual offenders may also be barred from buying or selling vehicles until all pending dues are cleared. Authorities said the move is aimed at improving road safety and ensuring stricter compliance with traffic regulations across Bihar.
The Transport Department said it had received repeated complaints that some vehicle owners were obtaining pollution certificates despite having unpaid e-challans. In response, the government plans to increase surveillance on pollution testing centres.
Under the new enforcement measures, any PUC certificate issued to a vehicle with pending fines may be cancelled immediately if detected during inspections. Additional penalties could also be imposed on the vehicle owner, while action may be taken against the pollution testing centre responsible for issuing the certificate.
Officials said detailed guidelines regarding the implementation of the new rules would soon be circulated to district authorities.
The department is also preparing to introduce mandatory training sessions for repeat traffic offenders. Drivers found repeatedly violating traffic norms will be required to undergo training at District Transport Offices on road safety and traffic regulations.
In serious cases, authorities may confiscate the Driving Licence of repeat offenders until they complete the prescribed training programme. The system, which had earlier been introduced in select districts including Patna, is now set to be expanded across the state within the next one to two months.
Meanwhile, the Transport Department recently conducted a special settlement drive through the National Lok Adalat under the “One-Time Traffic Challan Settlement Scheme-2026”.
According to officials, more than 20,000 pending e-challans were resolved during the campaign, generating nearly Rs 5 crore in revenue. Vehicle owners who cleared their dues during the drive were also offered rebates of up to 50%.
The department said another National Lok Adalat would be organised within the next three months to help settle additional pending challans and provide relief to motorists.
