It may be mentioned that Chandigarh Newsline published a series of reports emphasising the need for increasing the compounding fee for various traffic violations, to rein in the violators. 

The Chandigarh Traffic Police has been issuing challans to nearly 1.5 lakh violators every year. “It is a good move by the UT Administration. Unless we keep the penalty high, it would not pinch the violator. Who minds paying Rs 100 these days for not wearing a safety helmet? The youngsters, who are most prone to accidents, don’t pay any heed to the traffic rules and regulations, because they know they can get away with any violation by parting with a small portion of their pocket money. Now that the fines have been increased, it will surely pinch the violators,” said a senior traffic police officer.

So far, road accidents have claimed more than 16 lives this year. “Such a high accident rate, which is outright result of reckless driving, could only be curbed by imposing hefty fines,” said another officer.

So far, people had to pay Rs 100 for not wearing a safety helmet, or jumping the red light for the first time. Now, they would have to pay at least Rs 300 for these offences. According to the new notification, the fine will be Rs 600 or even more now if caught violating traffic rules again.