A Faisalabad mechanic hoping to sell his motorcycle to pay a hefty electricity bill discovered 35 unpaid e-challans totaling nearly Rs70,000, turning financial relief into a nightmare.
WEBDESK – NAYADAUR
A motorcycle mechanic in Punjab’s Faisalabad district was preparing to sell his bike to pay more than Rs50,000 in electricity bills when he discovered an unexpected financial shock — 35 e-challans worth nearly Rs70,000 were registered against the motorcycle.
Kashif Mahmood, who works as a motorcycle mechanic and earns around Rs1,000 a day, said the electricity bills arriving at his home had become too difficult to manage.
Mahmood, a father of five who lives with his brothers, decided to sell his motorcycle to pay the outstanding electricity bill before the deadline passed.
But while trying to sell the bike, he learned that it carried dozens of unpaid traffic fines.
According to Mahmood, 35 e-challans were issued for not wearing helmets while riding motorcycles. He said he had not received messages informing him about any of the fines.
“If I had received the messages, I would have paid the fines and avoided getting more,” Mahmood said, according to Urdu News.
The discovery dramatically changed the motorcycle’s value.
Mahmood said a prospective buyer valued the motorcycle at around Rs82,000, but told him the outstanding challans would also have to be cleared. Under the proposed arrangement, Mahmood would receive only about Rs12,000 while the remaining amount would go toward paying the fines.
For Mahmood, that meant that almost the entire value of the motorcycle would be lost to traffic penalties — leaving him without enough money to settle his electricity bill.
He said the situation was particularly painful because his household electricity consumption was limited.
“Someone should come and see my house. There is almost nothing there,” Mahmood said, explaining that his family mainly uses three fans along with basic household appliances.
Despite the mounting financial pressure, Mahmood ultimately decided not to sell the motorcycle.
Instead, he borrowed money from his brothers and sisters to pay the electricity bill.
Mahmood said failing to pay on time could have created an even bigger financial burden after the deadline.
He acknowledged that he had previously ridden without a helmet, but said he has now changed the habit.
“Even when I go to buy vegetables, I wear a helmet now,” he said.
Mahmood lives near a bypass road and said several of the fines were issued while he was riding along that route.
The case highlights the financial consequences that unpaid e-challans can impose on low-income vehicle owners, particularly when drivers say they were unaware that multiple penalties had accumulated.
For Mahmood, what began as an attempt to sell an old motorcycle and keep the electricity on ended in a startling realization: the traffic fines on his bike were worth almost as much as the motorcycle itself.
