In the area of road safety, bill proposes to increase penalties to act as deterrent against traffic violations.
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The cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Penalty for unauthorised use of vehicles without licence has been proposed at Rs 5,000 while those driving without license will have to shell out the same amount and those found driving despite disqualification would be fined a minimum Rs 10,000. Riding a two-wheeler without wearing a helmet will now attract a fine of Rs. 1,000 as opposed to the current Rs. 100. The punitive measure is a fine of Rs 25,000 with a 3-year imprisonment term and the vehicle registration will be cancelled.
In the wake of rising hit-and-run cases in the recent past, the amended bill also proposes a compensation of up to Rs 2 lakh. The compensation in case of a road accident fatality now stands at Rs. 10 lakh. The current fine for this offense is Rs. 100.
In a much-awaited step, designed at making Indian roads safer for motorists and pedestrians and also saving thousands of lives each year, the Cabinet yesterday approved the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2016. With this bill, the government hopes to reduce the accidents and fatalities by 50 per cent. The proposed fines from violating of traffic norms were based on the recommendations of transport ministers from 18 states.
The Cabinet has also stressed on juvenile driving being a major issue, and has thus proposed that in case of under-age driving, the parent/guardian will be held guilty.
Seventeen people were killed every hour – at least 400 a day – on India’s roads in 2015, according to government data.
The bill was pending for long as many states had earlier expressed reservations saying that it may encroach upon their administrative among other rights. As a result, a provision for enabling online learning licenses, increasing validity period for driving licenses, and scrapping the requirements of educational qualification for transport licenses has also been initiated.
“The bill also proposes to mandate the automated fitness testing for the transport vehicles with effect from 1st October 2018”. This would help reduce corruption in the Transport Department while improving the roadworthiness of vehicles.
To bring harmony of the registration and licensing process, it is proposed to create National Register for Driving Licence and National Register for Vehicle registration through “Vahan” & “Sarathi” platforms.
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“The penalties are also proposed for deliberate violation of safety/environmental regulations as well as body builders and spare part suppliers”, it added.
