UP initiates e-challan system to curb overspeeding on Agra-Lucknow Expressway; route had seen high number of accidents

The Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) has initiated an “e-challan” system to reduce accidents on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway. [caption id=“attachment_6914821” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The Agra-Lucknow Expressway. File image. News18 Hindi[/caption] What makes this challan interesting is that the speed of vehicles is measured through the time taken to reach Agra from Lucknow or vice versa. Those who complete the journey between these two cities in less than three hours are being fined. Avnish Kumar, senior official at the UPEIDA has reportedly stated that drivers tend to increase vehicle speeds on largely empty smooth stretches to an extent that even the slightest of negligence can turn fatal. He added that incidents where drivers dozed off while driving have also surfaced. The Agra-Lucknow Expressway has witnessed numerous accidents in recent years. For instance, 18 cars had piled up one behind another in 2017 on a day which had seen dense smog. The toll plazas at Agra and Lucknow are now tracking the speed limit and issuing e-challans. More than 25 e-invoices have been sent to vehicle owners till now. The UPEIDA, in a statement, said that arrangements have been made at the expressway toll plazas to keep a record of vehicles’ exit and entry times. The monitoring is being done through photographs taken by high-resolution cameras, and reports are collected and emailed to the superintendents of police in the traffic departments in Lucknow and Agra. Subsequently, the e-challan process is completed. As per UPEIDA data, more than 1,900 accidents have taken place and over 240 people have been killed in accidents on the expressway since August 2017.