Akhilesh Yadav says new traffic fines are anti-people and oppressive

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav this morning slammed the centre for imposing steep penalties on commuters under the amended Motor Vehicle Act 2019.

The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister tweeted in Hindi, "The new rules pertaining to challans implemented by the BJP ruled state governments are anti-people and oppressive."

Amid public outcry over new provisions in the Motor Vehicles Act, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday stated that hefty fines were not imposed to generate revenue for the government, but to save lives of the people.

"We are implementing this to create respect and fear of the law so none can do such type of thing. If you obey the law, you don't have to give any fine. 30 years before, the fine was 100 rupees. Now, what is the value of Rs 100 today?" the Union Minister had told ANI.

This new fines came into effect on September 1.