Patna: The state govt has announced a relief measure for the people of the state by approving a one-time settlement scheme for long-pending traffic challans. This people-friendly decision aims to provide substantial financial relief to citizens and help clear the backlog of old e-challans.At a cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, the govt approved the One-Time Traffic Challan Settlement Scheme-2026 under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and issued a gazette notification on Thursday. Under the scheme, individuals can settle pending e-challans related to various traffic violations — such as riding without a helmet, not wearing a seat belt, driving without insurance and other breaches of traffic rules — by paying only 50% of the original penalty amount.The scheme primarily covers e-challans pending for more than 90 days. These cases will be disposed of through the National Lok Adalat, ensuring quicker and hassle-free resolution. The initiative has come into immediate effect and will remain valid throughout the financial year 2026-27.The Bihar govt has also notified minimum compounding amounts for different categories of offences through the Bihar Gazette (Extraordinary) dated April 30, 2026. The detailed schedule includes a wide range of traffic violations, covering breaches of rules, driving without proper documents, overspeeding, driving by unauthorised or underage persons, helmet and seat belt violations, mobile phone use while driving, red-light jumping, pollution control violations and other common infractions.Separate minimum settlement amounts have been fixed for different types of vehicles, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, light motor vehicles, medium motor vehicles and heavy motor vehicles. These amounts generally begin from Rs 500 and vary depending on the nature and seriousness of the offence.“This one-time settlement scheme is expected to bring major relief to lakhs of vehicle owners in Bihar. Many people will now be able to clear their old pending challans by paying significantly reduced amounts. This will also remove long-standing difficulties in vehicle-related formalities such as renewal of documents or transfer of ownership,” officials of the transport department said.For the department, the scheme is expected to enable faster recovery of pending revenue while reducing the backlog of cases. The govt hopes this relief measure will also promote greater awareness and compliance with traffic rules among citizens.The Bihar govt has urged all citizens with pending e-challans to take maximum advantage of the scheme at the earliest through the designated process, including virtual courts and the National Lok Adalat mechanism.
