A week after the Centre's new Motor Vehicles Act was implemented in Kerala, ruling CPI(M) and opposition Congress on Sunday came out against the hefty fines imposed for violations under the amended Act, saying it would put additional burden on the common man.
CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the stiff penalties were "unscientific" and would result in corruption, while opposition leader in the state Assembly, Ramesh Chennithala alleged that the BJP-led NDA government had "unilaterally" imposed the huge fines without consulting the state governments.
Major political parties have flayed the Act, which came into force on September 1, in the wake of strong protests by people and trade unions against the increased penalties.
Balakrishnan told reporters here that strict enforcement of existing rules and not imposition of fines, was what was needed.
"The number of increasing road accidents should be reduced. Effective interventions should be made for that. But imposition of hefty fines will only lead to corruption. Necessary changes should be made in the MV Act considering all these factors," he said.
Pointing out that state governments had limitations in intervening in the Central acts, the Left leader said the CPI(M) government in the state should examine what it can do legally in this regard.
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Chennithala criticised the LDF government for allegedly implementing the amended MV Actin the state "without any mercy".
Instead of implementing the existing motor vehicles rules effectively, the government was "penalising" people imposing heftyfines, which cannot be accepted, he said in a statement.
He also urged the Pinarayi Vijayan government not to charge steep fines in the state as prescribed in the amended Act.
"States like Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Bengal have already announced they will not implement the amended MV Act" and so it was not right for the state Motor Vehicle Department to go ahead in implementing the Act,he said
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