Days after Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav inaugurated the city’s ambitious Rs 42-crore Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) with much fanfare, a ground check by True Scoop News has revealed a stark reality — the system, meant to revolutionize traffic management in Jalandhar, is barely functional at most junctions.
Launched as a milestone step toward smart governance and road discipline, the ITMS was supposed to bring all 13 major chowks of the city under an advanced surveillance and automated e-challan network. However, out of these 13 chowks — including Guru Ravidass Chowk, Nakodar Chowk, Football Chowk, Kapurthala Chowk, Workshop Chowk, Bhagwan Valmiki Chowk, BMC Chowk, BSF Chowk, Guru Nanak Mission Chowk, PAP Chowk, Model Town Chowk, Chunmun Chowk, and Guru Amardass Chowk — only four are actually working as promised.
As per on-ground check, Guru Nanak Mission Chowk, BMC Chowk (partially functional), PAP Chowk, and Chunmun Chowk had operational signals and visible road markings. Even so, traffic violations like red-light jumping and wrong-lane driving continued unchecked — indicating poor enforcement despite the technology.
At the remaining nine chowks, the scene was dismal: non-functional or blinking lights, missing zebra crossings, defunct cameras, and broken lanes. The much-touted “network of 142 cameras” — including Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and Red Light Violation Detection (RLVD) systems — was either incomplete or inactive in most locations.
When questioned, ADCP (Operations and Security) Vineet Ahlawat said that the e-challan system would soon be made operational across all 13 chowks as part of the first phase, but the timeline remains uncertain.
The inauguration ceremony, held last week, was attended by senior officials including Commissioner of Police Dhanpreet Kaur, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Himanshu Aggarwal, and Municipal Commissioner Sandeep Rishi. The DGP had highlighted that Jalandhar is now the second city in Punjab, after SAS Nagar, to have a live ITMS setup integrated with the city’s Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC).
The DGP also used the occasion to underline Punjab Police’s broader initiatives — including the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign against drugs and the deployment of 57 additional companies of central forces for safety during the festive season.
However, despite the promising blueprint, the situation on the streets paints a very different picture. From non-functional signal lights to faded traffic lines, the Rs 42-crore project that was meant to make Jalandhar’s roads smarter and safer is still far from road-ready.
While officials insist the system will soon be fully operational, for now, Jalandhar’s “smart” traffic system seems more photo-op than functional reality — flashing promises, not green lights.
