Gujarat govt goes lenient, slashes new traffic violation fines by 90%
The new provisions will
come into force in Gujarat from September 16, chief minister Vijay Rupani said
The BJP-ruled Gujarat government on
Tuesday announced a drastic cut in the penalties for traffic violations even as
the Centre is justifying the steep fine amounts under the amended Motor
Vehicles (MV) Act.
In
some cases the reduction in the state is as steep as Rs 1,000 from Rs 10,000.
On July 31, Parliament passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019. But
some states, especially those ruled by non-BJP parties, have opposed its
stringent provisions and not implemented them yet.
The
amended Central MV Act provides for a fine of Rs 1,000 for driving a
two-wheeler without helmet; in Gujarat the fine will
be Rs 500, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced here. The penalty for the
offence in the state, currently, is a mere Rs 100.
While
the Central law has proposed a fine of Rs 1,000 for pillion rider not wearing
helmet, this provision will not be implemented at all in Gujarat, Rupani said.
Further,
one can produce driving license or other documents in digitised form after
storing them in 'DigiLocker' app, he said.
For
not fastening the seat-belt, car drivers will be fined Rs 500 against Rs 1,000
under the Central act.
The
new provisions will come into force in Gujarat from
September 16, the chief minister said.
"The
fine amount for different violations proposed under the Central law is the
upper limit. Penalty collection is not our objective. We want people to be
safe. The Gujarat government will enforce the law strictly wherever it is
needed. We will be lenient wherever needed. That is why we will not impose any
fine on pillion-riders," Rupani added.
For
triple-riding on two-wheeler, the fine in Gujarat will continue to be Rs 100
and not Rs 1,000 as under the amended MV Act, as "poor people can not
afford to hire auto- rickshaw if a family of three wants to go somewhere,"
the chief minister said.
Talking
on phone while driving would attract a fine of Rs 500 for first-time offenders
and Rs 1,000 if caught second time, which is almost on par with the penalty
under the Central act.
At
present, the police collect Rs 1,000 for the same offence in Gujarat.
For
dangerous driving as well as driving on the wrong side, the first-time penalty
would be Rs 1,500 for three- wheelers, Rs 3,000 for Light Motor Vehicles and Rs
5,000 for bigger vehicles.
These
fines are less than those under the Central act which provides for fines of Rs
5,000 for the first time and Rs 10,000 for repeat offence.
While
the amended Central law proposes a penalty of Rs 5,000 if the driver does not
have a driving license, the state police will recover Rs 2,000 from two-wheeler
riders andRs 3,000 from drivers of three- or four-wheelers.
Against
a hefty penalty of Rs 5,000 proposed by the Centre for not registering the
vehicle, the Gujarat government will recover Rs 1,000 for two-wheelers, Rs
2,000 for three- wheelers, Rs 3,000 for four-wheelers and Rs 5,000 for bigger
vehicles.
For
not having fitness certificate for commercial vehicles, offenders will have to
shell out Rs 500 in the case of three-wheelers and Rs 5,000 for four-wheelers
or bigger vehicles.
Instead
of a fine of Rs 10,000 for obstructing ambulance or any other emergency vehicle
under the Central act, the state police would levy a fine of only Rs 1,000.
For breach of pollution
norms, the fine in Gujarat will be Rs 1,000 for two-wheelers or Light Motor
Vehicles and Rs 3,000 for other types of vehicles. The penalty for this offence
under the Central MV Act is Rs 10,000.
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