PATNA, May 4 -- The Bihar government's one-time settlement scheme for pending traffic challans, notified on April 30 to facilitate disposal through the upcoming National Lok Adalat on May 9, offers limited financial relief and falls short of similar initiatives in other states, officials familiar with the matter said, as the case comes up for hearing in the Patna high court on Monday. Under the gazette notification, offences classified as "dangerous driving" - covered by Sections 184(a) to 184(f) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 - have largely been excluded from any meaningful penalty relaxation. These violations include jumping red lights, ignoring stop signs, using mobile phones while driving, dangerous overtaking, wrong-side driving, and flouting "no U-turn" restrictions in high-speed zones. Officials said penalties for such offences remain unchanged, ranging between Rs.1,000 and Rs.5,000 depending on the vehicle category, in line with existing legal provisions. This effectively deprives a large number of offenders - particularly those issued e-challans through the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) - from availing benefits under the amnesty scheme. The unchanged penalty structure stems from an earlier transport department notification dated August 18, 2023 (No. 6506), which has been retained without modification in the latest framework. The limited relief comes despite directions from the Patna high court. On April 20, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo and Justice Harish Kumar had directed the transport department to issue a notification enabling all pending traffic violation cases to be placed before the National Lok Adalat scheduled for May 9. The bench flagged the pendency of around 2.78 lakh traffic e-challan cases across Bihar and called for a streamlined and concessional resolution mechanism. It also urged the state to adopt models followed in Odisha, Gujarat and Delhi, where violations can be compounded at reduced rates. In Odisha, cited as an example by the court, offences under Section 184(a) to (e) attract a maximum compounding penalty of Rs.1,000. In contrast, Bihar prescribes a minimum penalty of up to Rs.5,000 for similar violations, leaving little room for relief. Officials also pointed to past examples such as the Kolkata Police's 2018-19 "One-Time Traffic Fine Settlement Scheme," which offered steep discounts. Under its first phase, violators could settle dues by paying only 35% of the penalty, with a 65% waiver, while the second phase allowed settlement at 50% of the dues. The matter is scheduled to come up for further hearing before the Patna high court on Monday, when the adequacy of the state's compliance with its earlier directions is expected to be reviewed....