RAWALPINDI: The long-awaited e-challan system was formally activated in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Friday to enhance traffic management and safety by utilising the Safe City project’s surveillance cameras to issue electronic challans for traffic offences.

“Electronic challans for traffic violations will start on Saturday (today) as the system has been activated on Friday,”senior superintendent of police (SSP) Safe City Rawalpindi told Dawn.

He said that the system will be using the safe city surveillance cameras for issuing electronic challans for traffic violations like traffic signal jumping, riding a motorcycle without wearing a helmet or seatbelts, illegal number plates and lane cutting.

Under the e-challans, AI technology is being used to identify traffic violations. Once a violation is recorded, the fines are issued automatically and delivered to the violator’s home address.

Any individual passing through a Safe City Surveillance camera without wearing a helmet or fastening seat belt will be spotted by the camera and fined automatically, said a police officer.

In Rawalpindi, under the Safe City Project, more than 2,000 high-resolution surveillance cameras at 359 locations have been installed, aimed at boosting public safety through the establishment of a high-quality surveillance system. Of the total CCTV cameras, 15 have been installed at the entry and exit points in Rawalpindi.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2025