Pune's roads witnessed an alarming surge in traffic violations in 2025, with cases nearly doubling compared to previous years, according to the annual crime figures released by Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar. The data paints a grim picture of rampant rule-breaking, from dangerous wrong-side sprints to footpath invasions.
Staggering Numbers and Key Offences
The city registered a staggering 19.87 lakh traffic violation cases from January to December 2025. This figure is nearly equal to the combined total of 2023 (10.92 lakh) and 2024 (11.86 lakh). Senior police officials attribute this dramatic spike to intensified enforcement, expanded special drives, and the increased use of digital surveillance and the e-challan system.
A detailed breakdown of the violations reveals specific areas of concern:
- No Entry/One-Way Violations: This was the largest category, with 5 lakh cases recorded in 2025, a massive jump from 1.78 lakh in 2024 and just 21,000 in 2023.
- Wrong-Side Driving: Cases rose to 43,949 in 2025, up from 26,641 in 2024.
- Signal Jumping: The police issued 1.71 lakh challans for this offence in 2025, compared to 71,000 the previous year.
- Footpath Driving: Bookings for this audacious violation increased to 9,600 in 2025 from 3,200 in 2024.
Citizen and Activist Perspectives
Traffic activist Yesunand Francis D'souza acknowledged the rapid rise in violations, noting that even police personnel sometimes break rules. He highlighted the Pune Traffic Police (PTP) app as a crucial tool for citizens to report offences, which currently has 56,000 active subscribers.
Citizen activist Sunil Aiyer from Undri offered a structural perspective, stating the surge is unsurprising given the growing vehicle count on persistently narrow roads. He pointed out a significant knowledge gap among drivers regarding rules and penalties. Aiyer also emphasized that digital surveillance is not fully implemented across Pune's jurisdiction, citing the lack of CCTV coverage in areas like Undri. He warned that if it were comprehensive, the violation numbers would be even higher.
Enforcement Challenges and Unpaid Fines
The push for digital enforcement through e-challans faces a major hurdle in compliance. Of the 18.72 lakh e-challans issued, a substantial 9.75 lakh remain unpaid. Despite this, the traffic department collected Rs 54 crore in fines in 2025, an increase from Rs 46 crore in 2023 and Rs 49 crore in 2024.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Himmat Jadhav stressed that enforcement alone cannot guarantee road safety. "Public cooperation is crucial," he said, adding that violators will face legal action as per the law and urging citizens to follow traffic rules strictly.
The data underscores a critical challenge for Pune: balancing stricter enforcement with systemic improvements in road infrastructure and public awareness to curb the epidemic of traffic offences.
