Nagpur, Dec 10 (NationPress) Maharashtra's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared on Wednesday during the state council meeting that the government is set to form a study group focused on transport planning and the E-Challan policy.

With the surge in vehicle numbers in Mumbai and its adjacent regions, it is crucial to implement advanced technology for effective transport management and the distribution of e-challans.

This announcement came in response to a concern raised by legislator Sunil Shinde regarding traffic constables using their personal mobile devices to issue e-challans.

Minister of State Yogesh Kadam indicated that the state is contemplating supplying official cameras to traffic constables. Following this, the Chief Minister confirmed the establishment of a study group, which includes members Prasad Lad, Satej Patil, Bhai Jagtap, Adv. Anil Parab, and Manisha Kayande who contributed to the discussion.

Providing more insights on transport planning, Chief Minister Fadnavis noted that the Development Control Regulations (DCR) for Mumbai currently do not adequately consider two-wheeler traffic.

The government will review potential amendments to address this issue. Additionally, the system will be enhanced to ensure vehicle owners receive e-challan notifications without delay.

Given that outstanding fines become hard to collect after a certain duration, the government intends to organize Lok Adalats and recover 50% of the dues through a resolution under an amnesty initiative. The government will also explore the option of linking penalty payments to FASTag.

Furthermore, it was highlighted that vehicle owners residing in slum areas of Mumbai often lack designated parking, forcing them to park on public roads, which will also be addressed in the forthcoming policy draft.

Minister of State Yogesh Kadam added that traffic constables have been directed not to capture images with personal mobile phones, and disciplinary measures have been enforced in Chandrapur for such violations.

In another matter, Minister of Industry Uday Samant, who oversees the Urban Development Department, informed the Legislative Council that the remaining payment to Sthapatya Consultancy India Private Limited, the company engaged for the property survey within the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) jurisdiction, will be withheld until an inquiry into alleged irregularities is completed.

This statement came in response to a Calling Attention Motion presented by legislator Amit Gorkhe regarding the city-wide property survey conducted by the private contractor under the PCMC Tax Assessment and Collection Department.

Legislator Umatai Khapre also contributed with additional questions during the discussion. Minister Samant revealed that the contract worth Rs 47.95 crore was awarded to survey 580,000 properties.

The survey identified an additional 370,213 new properties.

The PCMC has approved an additional expenditure of Rs 29.09 crore for this expanded workload. However, only Rs 12 crore has been disbursed to the firm thus far.

He disclosed that irregularities were observed during the survey, particularly regarding the reclassification of certain properties from 'Residential' to 'Commercial'. An inquiry into these issues will be conducted by the current Municipal Commissioner.

The decision to release the remaining payments will be made after the investigation concludes.