Traffic cops on duty at Aramghar Crossroad in Hyderabad.
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL
As 2025 draws to a close, the Cyberabad traffic police have issued 43,676 challans through their ‘Report Violation’ WhatsApp service, with about 81% of citizen complaints resulting in booked cases, highlighting the increasing role of public participation in traffic enforcement.
Official data show that between January 1 and December 15, 2025, the department registered 51,389 violations across 45 categories through the platform, resulting in challans amounting to over ₹2.52 crore. Of these, 12,868 challans have been paid so far, with collections exceeding ₹63.26 lakh. Officials clarified that a single challan can include multiple violations, which explains why the total number of violations exceeds the number of challans issued.
Despite the volume, citizen-reported cases account for a small share of overall enforcement. The ₹2.52 crore generated through the WhatsApp service constitutes just about 1.05% of the total ₹239.37 crore in challans issued by the Cyberabad traffic police so far this year. Overall, the department issued around 10.27 lakh spot challans and 25.93 lakh e-challans in 2025.
The initiative has seen a steady rise in usage over the years. Cases booked through the system increased from 35,777 in 2023 to 43,814 in 2024.
A closer look at the data reveals that violations are heavily concentrated in a few categories. Wrong or unauthorised parking tops the list by a wide margin, with 18,855 cases recorded during the period. Helmetless riding follows with 9,336 violations, underscoring persistent non-compliance with basic road safety norms. Wrong-side driving ranks third with 6,527 cases, while unauthorised parking leading to obstruction of the carriageway accounts for another 6,349 violations. Dangerous driving completes the top five with 3,666 cases.
Citizens lodging complaints on WhatsApp
| Photo Credit:
diego_cervo
The data indicates a sharp rise in several high-risk violations over the course of the year. Cases of mobile phone use while driving more than tripled in the second half of 2025, climbing from 303 cases recorded in May to 1,110 by December 15. Officials said many of the complaints were backed by videos showing two-wheeler riders, auto-rickshaw drivers and car drivers either watching videos or making video calls while driving.
A similar upward trend was seen in wrong-side driving cases, rising more than fourfold, from 1,404 in May to 6,527 in December and triple-riding violations, which climbed nearly sixfold from 235 to 1,381 over the seven-month period.
Complaints surged notably after the monsoon, coinciding with increased digital outreach by the Cyberabad traffic police. Regular alerts and updates on social media led to increased public engagement, which in turn translated into a sharp rise in citizen-reported violations, said Cyberabad Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Gajarao Bhupal.
While submissions to the traffic police WhatsApp number 94906 17346 in the form of photographs and videos have increased, officials noted that many cannot be acted upon due to missing or unclear details.
Published – December 17, 2025 07:00 am IST
