By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: Union Minister Chirag Paswan has found himself in the spotlight due to a recent mistake. The Bihar Transport Department has imposed a fine on him for a traffic violation. The incident occurred on 24th August, while Paswan was travelling from Patna to Hajipur. During the journey, a minor error at the toll plaza led to a fine being issued.
According to reports, Chirag Paswan’s car was caught speeding as he approached the toll plaza. The speed was recorded by a camera, and a challan was automatically generated. The fine notification was sent to Paswan’s mobile phone, and he is now required to pay a penalty of Rs 2,000.
The Bihar government has recently implemented an e-detection system at all toll plazas across the state, as announced by Transport Secretary Sanjay Agarwal in April. This system automatically issues fines if a vehicle is found lacking necessary documents or violating traffic regulations, such as speeding. High-resolution CCTV cameras have been installed at every toll plaza, capturing images of number plates and monitoring vehicle compliance with rules regarding fitness, pollution, insurance, seat belts, and speed limits. If a violation is detected, a challan is generated , and a notification is sent to the vehicle owner’s registered mobile number.
All 32 toll plazas in the state are now connected to the e-detection system, which ensures that a vehicle is fined only once per day at any toll plaza. In the last 20 days alone, over 12,000 vehicles, including that of Union Minister Chirag Paswan, have been fined through this system. This list also includes several VIPs.
Chirag Paswan, who serves as the Union Minister for Food Processing, represents Hajipur in the Lok Sabha. His party secured five seats in the recent Lok Sabha elections, with Paswan himself winning from Hajipur. His brother-in-law, Arun Bharti, won from Jamui, while other party members, Rajesh Verma, Veena Devi, and Shambhavi Chaudhary, were elected from Khagaria, Vaishali, and Samastipur, respectively. The party’s success in the elections led to Paswan being appointed as a minister at the centre.
