india

Updated: Sep 07, 2019 13:37 IST

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Maharashtra ally Shiv Sena has questioned the logic of imposing hefty fines on traffic rule violators saying people cannot afford it. This comes amid reports of drivers being fined up to Rs 59,000 for flouting the amended MV Act that came into force on September 1.

Airing its views on the law, Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna editorial said it was not against the new law, but against levy of steep fines. “The new law is being opposed because of the ten times higher fines for traffic rule violations proposed under it... The law is welcome but will hefty fine be affordable to the poor people of the country?” the editorial, published on Saturday, asked.

Saying that that the new Act spearheaded by Nitin Gadkari has been passed but has invited sharp criticism for the hefty fines amounts, the Sena added that the central Surface Road Transport Ministry will have to “rethink” the steep fines.

“The demand that first the government should plug all the potholes and then bring in a new law is not wrong. The potholes on roads invite accidents,” the editorial said referring to the Goa Congress demand that the government must defer the implementation of the new Act until it can fix the pothole-ridden roads and improve road infrastructure.

Maharashtra transport minister and Sena leader Diwakar Raote, who has already voiced his opposition to the steep fines, said that the department has sent the file to law and judiciary department for its opinion on whether the fine amounts can be reduced. The Sena pointed out that many BJP-governmed states such as Gujarat, Chhatissgarh, Jharkhand have opposed the new law.

Since the new law came into force, a driver of a tractor in Haryana’s Gurugram, a Delhi suburb, was fined Rs 59,000 for driving under the influence of alcohol. Apart from driving while drunk, the trolley driver was also not carrying the required documents when he was stopped by the police. Earlier, a motorcyclist from Delhi was fines Rs 23,000 for driving without a helmet and not being able to produce documents when asked and an auto-driver was asked to cough up Rs 32,500.