Mumbai: New fines are now over to the traffic police

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With the Rajya Sabha passing the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019, on Wednesday, we can hope it will bring some discipline on the country's roads, especially in Mumbai, where chaos is all that one can witness during busy and peak hours. After the Bill goes to the Lok Sabha for a couple of corrections, it would be sent to the President for his assent, which in turn would make it a law. The Bill has been based on the recommendations of the Group of Transport Ministers of states constituted by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

Strict punishments

According to sources, the much-needed amendments would improve road safety, help citizens to deal with transport departments, strengthen public transport and last mile connectivity through computerisation and online services. The Bill allows the central government to order recall of motor vehicles if defects in them cause damage to the environment, or the driver, or other road users. It further provides for online learner's licence with mandatory online identity verification driving test, defines aggregators as digital intermediaries to connect with a driver for transportation purposes (taxi services). As per the proposal, the central government might increase fines mentioned under the Act every year by up to 10 per cent. Further, the Bill increases penalties for several offences under the Act.

For example, the maximum penalty for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs has been increased from '2,000 to '10,000. If a vehicle manufacturer fails to comply with motor vehicle standards, the penalty might go up to Rs 1 lakh, or imprisonment of up to one year, or both. While transport experts in the city have welcomed the amendments, some say it should have been done much earlier. Western India Automobile Association Executive

Discipline is important

Chairman, Nitin Dossa, said he welcomed the decision whole-heartedly as it was important to discipline motorists. Ajit V Shenoy from Mumbai Mobillity Forum said, "The amendment was long overdue. There should be a revision of fines every five years. It would have been better if the original Bill as proposed by Nitin Gadkari was accepted as it had stressed on road safety as well."

Implementation is key

Transport planner Vivek Pai said, "The amendment makes an attempt to finally say that owning a vehicle and driving it is a privilege and not a basic right. However, what needs to be seen is how the law is implemented." Jitendra Gupta of Mumbai Transport Forum said instead of heavy penalties, suspending licences would have been a stricter punishment. "The Bill fails to address this. I think the increased fines will invite corruption as well," he added. "The Bill only talks about the duties of citizens but fails to give them the right to claim compensation when the authorities fail to give them pothole-free roads," Gupta said.

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