Sat Apr 19 13:22:10 UTC 2025: ## Kerala Transport Department Cracks Down on Random Vehicle Photographing for Challans
**Thiruvananthapuram, April 19, 2025** – The Kerala Transport Department announced a crackdown on the practice of issuing challans based solely on photographs of vehicles’ registration numbers. Transport Commissioner C.H. Nagaraju stated that while officials can electronically check vehicle documents and issue e-challans for traffic violations, randomly photographing vehicles and issuing challans for missing documents like insurance or pollution certificates is prohibited. This practice, according to the department, has been abused by some officials. The department will take action against any officials found engaging in this unauthorized activity.
The department emphasized that official vehicle inspections must be conducted either physically or electronically according to Section 167A (3) of the Central Motor Vehicles Act. However, e-challans *can* be issued for traffic violations identified via registration numbers.
In other news, the department is also taking a firm stance against vehicle modifications that compromise safety. Modifications such as bull bars, crash guards, and unauthorized extra lights will result in fines. However, roof luggage carriers on vehicles will be exempted as there is no provision in the Central Motor Vehicles Act to classify them as alterations, and penalizing taxis for having them could negatively impact the tourism sector.
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