No seat belt on bikes, no helmet in cars: Odisha’s bizarre traffic fines
A CAG report revealed significant administrative errors in Odisha, including thousands of traffic fines issued for impossible violations like seat-belt use on motorcycles. The report also highlighted questionable waste management records involving non-existent vehicles.
Why it matters
This exposes systemic failures in government data management and public fund oversight, raising concerns about bureaucratic efficiency and accountability.
Can you imagine a two-wheeler being fined for not wearing a seat belt and a car or auto-rickshaw driver being penalised for not wearing a helmet?
Yet this is precisely what happened in Odisha, according to the latest findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). As many as 2,988 two-wheelers were booked for seat-belt violations, while 4,786 three- and four-wheelers were issued challans for helmet violations. In another bizarre instance, 60,058 MT of legacy waste was shown as transported in Rourkela using two motorcycles, an e-rickshaw, a car, and even a non-existent vehicle.
The CAG reports tabled in the Odisha Legislative Assembly on Monday (September 28, 2026) have uncovered a series of lapses, questionable records, and instances of massive misuse of public funds across various departments of the Odisha government.
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