Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday sought to play down BJP-ruled Gujarat drastically cutting fines for traffic violations, saying the matter was in the concurrent list and states were free to take their own decision.
On Tuesday, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced a drastic cut ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000 in some cases for penalties for traffic violations, which were envisaged under the amended Motor Vehicles Act that came into effect from September.
"First of all, the Motor Vehicles Act is in concurrent list. Centre and state governments have the right to make laws in this regard...and they'll (states) take decision what they consider is appropriate," Gadkari said.
He was responding to a query on how he viewed BJP-ruled Gujarat taking steps contrary to what the Centre has done with regards to penalties prescribed under the amended law.
Opposition-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal have also refused to implement the new law.
Speaking at the launch of BS-VI compliant scooter Activa 125 by Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India here, the minister further said, "If they (states) want to reduce the fines let them but lives of people should be saved and there should be less accidents. There has to be awareness over this."
Stressing that people will ultimately understand, Gadkari said, "It was not the intention of the government to earn revenue by imposing heavy fines."
Even if revenue is generated through penalties, it would go to the states' kitty only and not Centre, Gadkari asserted.
Defending the steep penalties under the Motor Vehicles Act (2019), the minister said it was important prevent accidents to save lives as India witnesses 5 lakh accidents every year, killing 1.5 lakh and crippling another 3 lakh.
Crediting the new law for bringing road discipline, the minister said many people have now started applying for licence at RTOs and people are now following traffic rules strictly.
Within a few days of implementation, there has been a lot of improvement, he said adding, "One of the biggest improvements is accidents, which have come down."
He said such a step of imposing heavy penalties had to be taken as people were not taking the law seriously earlier.
Moreover, he said the fines that were fixed 30 years ago would also need to be updated according to the current situation.
Under the amended Act, violations such as drunken driving and dangerous driving attract fines of Rs 10,000 and/or imprisonment of six months to two years.
Penalty for driving without licence was increased to Rs 5,000 from Rs 500 earlier, while riding two-wheeler without helmets will not only attract fine of Rs 1,000 but could lead to suspension of licences for the next three months.
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