Hyderabad: All vehicle owners in Telangana must update their mobile numbers and e-mail addresses on the Vahan portal within one month, as the government has authorised SMS, WhatsApp and e-mail as electronic means of communication to issue challans.
As per the notification issued on Monday, June 1, after the expiry of the one-month period, challans sent through SMS on the mobile number or e-mail will be recorded in the portal and deemed to have been served on the vehicle owner, even if the vehicle owner claims they never saw the message.
According to officials, many traffic challans remain unpaid because notices are often sent to outdated contact details. In some cases, disputes have also arisen over whether the notices were properly delivered.
In order to address the issue, authorities decided to use the mobile numbers and email addresses available in the Vahan portal database for sending challans and related notifications. The step is expected to improve compliance and help recover pending dues more efficiently.
The decision follows amendments introduced earlier this year by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The changes allow states to use electronic communication methods for serving traffic challans.
Vehicle owners are advised to immediately verify and update their details on the Vahan portal, as notifications sent to old contact information will still be considered legally delivered if the details have not been updated.
