Bouquets and brickbats for amended Motor Vehicles Bill

From Our Special Correspondent GUWAHATI: The ‘stringent’ penalties envisaged in the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 has evoked mixed views from citizens and organisations in the North East. The Bill passed in Parliament last month will become an Act once the President approves it. Accordingly, the fines for traffic violations have been increased by five to ten times. “I welcome the amendment by Parliament which aims to curb traffic violators. In order to help the authorities enforce the law, NGOs, village authorities and citizens should play their role as well. I hope the steep hike in penalties as well as seizures of driving licences will be effective,” VGK Kynta, senior advocate of Meghalaya High Court, told The Shillong Times. Kynta said vehicles of government and police officers if found to h ave violated traffic laws, should be penalised as well. “Officials can be penalised through demotions and the violations should reflect in their annual confidential records (ACRs) apart from the penalty. Further, I am of the view that insurance premiums should now be reduced or made more affordable,” he said. According to some of the provisions of the amended Bill, helmetless two-wheeler riders would have their licences disqualified for three months and be made to pay a fine of Rs 1000 as against the existing fine of Rs 100. Drivers under the influence of alcohol would have to shell out a whopping RS 10,000 as against the prevailing rate of Rs 2000. Likewise, dangerous driving would invite a fine of up to Rs 5000 and above as against the existing rate of Rs 1000, while drivers caught over-speeding will have to part with Rs 1000 as against the existing rate of Rs 400. “The important aspect here is the enforcement as safety is at a premium. The flip side is that it could cause harassment to public. Shillong is already very congested and I am not sure whether a hike in fines will ease traffic,” Thomas Passah, president of KHNAM state youth wing, said. “India is a diverse country and I am sure these amendments to transport rules will have different results in different states,” Passah said. Another perspective is that if there is laxity in enforcement, strict penalties would have relatively less relevance. “The objective of hiking penalties is to deter vehicle drivers/riders from violating traffic rules. But for a city like Guwahati, where enforcement of traffic rules have been an issue in the absence of a transparent monitoring system, a steep hike in fines may have little relevance. Some initial deterrence apart, things are likely to return to old ways soon,” said Dibyajyoti Medhi the general secretary of All Assam Students Union, Kamrup metro district.