The newly introduced ITMS (Intelligent Traffic Management System) on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway last month issued e-challans to 18,488 vehicle owners for flouting traffic rules during the first fortnight after its launch, according to an announcement by joint transport commissioner (enforcement) Shailesh Kamat on Friday.

Fines amounting to Rs 7.5 lakh were recovered. Kamat mentioned that the increasing number of e-challans is expected to reduce the number of crashes on the expressway. He added that the data available is only until the end of July, and more cases are anticipated to be registered this month. Kamat also stated that the ITMS would serve as a deterrent to curb speeding on the Pune expressway.

The system was launched by state transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar on July 19. In the first two weeks, nearly 90% of the cases were registered for speeding, 4% for lane cutting, and the remainder for other offences, such as not wearing seat belts and illegal parking on the highway, according to an official involved with the enforcement squad. The official further noted that fines amounting to Rs 7.5 lakh had already been recovered from 422 e-challans.

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, a crucial transportation route, experiences an average daily traffic volume of up to 40,000 vehicles, increasing to 60,000 on weekends.