Mumbai-Pune Expressway: e-challans worth 470 crore issued but just 51 crore recovered

ITMS uses 40 gantries, hundreds of CCTV cameras, speed guns, automatic number plate recognition, weigh-in-motion sensors and weather sensors. An operator checks violation reports produced by the system before clearance by Regional Transport Office (RTO) officials.

Most overspeeding cases have been seen in the Khandala Ghat segment, where car speed is restricted to 60 kmph and heavy vehicles to 40 kmph. Elsewhere on the expressway, speeds are restricted to 100 kmph for cars and 80 kmph for heavy vehicles.

Transporters complain that the ghat speeds, especially on the 10-km declining segment of Lonavala to Khalapur, are unreasonably low and cause delay. However, according to a source at Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the government is planning to raise the limit for heavy vehicles to 45-50 kmph on the ghat’s Pune-Mumbai arm.

In June and July, transporters boycotted cargo movement to protest what they deemed excessive e-challans. However, the strike was called off after the government agreed to set up a panel to discuss the issue.

An MSRDC official said the purpose of the system was to ensure road safety, not to collect revenue. “ITMS is meant to ensure enforcement of rules uniformly across all vehicle categories and to curb accidents. Feedback from transporters is being considered. But a decision on the speed limit will be taken after consideration of safety and operational requirements.”

The review board is set to present its recommendations in the coming months.