Police officers and experts say proposed amounts for traffic violations in the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill will encourage corruption; traffic commissioner disagrees
Motorists now have to pay more than five times the existing fine for 24 traffic offences. Representation Pic
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Under the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill 2016, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on April 10, proposed fines for traffic violations have been raised to at least five times from what they are currently.
However, experts and cops say that the amended fine amounts will encourage corruption, thus deterring the law from serving its purpose.
The Bill was introduced in parliament on August 9, 2016 and was passed with a few suggestions on April 10. It will now be introduced in the Rajya Sabha after which it will be forwarded to the President for his approval.
Corruption among cops
While it has introduced various aspects of road safety and compensation, is has come down hard on traffic offenders. Motorists now have to pay more than five times the existing fine for 24 traffic offences.
When asked about the repercussions of the new bill, a worrisome senior police officer said, "Let's take the common offence of riding without a helmet. There has been a remarkable reduction in this offence across the city, but now motorists have to pay R1,000 and have their license disqualified for three months."
The officer added, "This will surely encourage corruption among cops. Those driving in an inebriated state have to pay R10,000. Instead of paying that sum, the motorist will definitely prefer to pay a bribe."
Focus on offenders
Ashok Datar, a transport expert said, "The amount for penalties mentioned in new Bill is huge. There should be some levels or categories for every offence. Like, there should be some difference between the penalties for parking a vehicle on a busy road, causing traffic disruption and in small lanes, which is not hampering traffic as such. Hefty fines will only give an opportunity for corruption. Rather than minting money through fines, we must focus on how to force offenders to follow rules."
The traffic department of Mumbai police issues around seven to eight thousand e-challans daily through CCTV. "To catch traffic offenders, the traffic department works on two levels, i.e. challans issued on road and through CCTV. The enforcement will have no impact as far as CCTV e-challans are concerned, but when it comes to those issued on the road, motorists and cops indulge into arbitration, resulting in settlement over some amount; after all it is about money," said another police officer.
Traffic commissioner says Milind Bharambe, joint commissioner of police (traffic) said, "I have read the passed Bill. Rather than talking about the penalties, we should talk about the reduction in traffic violations. We must evolve into law-abiding citizens instead of worrying about corruption. Still, the traffic department is trying to reduce the interface [for imposing fines] and is not leaving any space for opportunity of corruption.
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