New Delhi: Commuters in Delhi and the larger National Capital Region may have a tough day, as most autorickshaws, taxis, private aggregator cabs, buses and tempos are staying off the roads as part of a strike call given to protest the heavy fines under the amended Motor Vehicle Act. The protest has been called by the United Front of Transport Associations (UFTA), an umbrella body of 41 goods and passenger transport associations.
Announcing the protest yesterday, UFTA chairman Harish Sabharwal explained that the closure of transport services was planned to highlight the hardships faced by drivers and vehicle owners. He said the MV Act amendment has resulted in an “exorbitant increase in traffic fines”.
Reacting to Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari’s assertion that such heavy penalties were needed to curb accident and bring discipline on the roads, Sabharwal said it is true that countries like Singapore have heavy penalties for violations, but they also have the necessary road infrastructure in place to facilitate the motorists. Also, “Traffic police there don’t ask for bribes and the fault of the vehicle is also decided in a scientific way.”
The rise in challan amounts has also made it more lucrative for the police in many states to check vehicles for documents instead of their routine work. In states like Uttar Pradesh, this forced the government to tell the police, as in the case of Noida, to not stop vehicles only for checking documents and seek documents only if a traffic offence is committed.
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Due to the heavy fines, states including Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh have decided not to implement the amended Act fully.
The transporters’ protest also comes in the wake of reports of an autorickshaw driver being fined over Rs 47,000 and a truck driver being challaned over Rs 2 lakh for various violations.
Most transporters believe that it is the failure of the police and other departments to improve road and traffic infrastructure which is behind the rise in accidents. But the blame is being pinned on motorists, who are being further victimised through “increasing fines”.
The transporters said they only resorted to a strike after their attempts to get their grievances redressed by the authorities failed.
Due to the strike, most schools in Delhi NCR remained closed. Office-goers had to use the Delhi Metro or Delhi Transport Corporation services, which functioned normally, or use private transport.