#MotorVehiclesAct2019: Delhi man fined Rs. 23,000 for violating traffic rules
Following the implementation of the new Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill 2019, hefty fines have been issued to thousands of people, across the country. One such case comes from the NCR region, where the Gurugram Police fined a scooter-borne, Delhi man a jolting sum of Rs. 23,000 for various traffic rule violations. The new traffic rules came into effect on Sunday, September 1. Here's more.
"As Madan (the offender) was not wearing his helmet, he was stopped by the on-duty traffic personnel. He was unable to produce his documents, when asked. Hence, the challan was issued," the traffic police officer at the location informed.
The offender, identified as Dinesh Madan, was stopped by traffic cops opposite Gurugram's District Court. He was not carrying his DL (a fine of Rs. 5,000); did not have his scooter's registration certificate (Rs. 5,000 fine); didn't possess a third-party insurance (Rs. 2,000 fine); was not wearing helmet (Rs. 1,000 fine). Furthermore, Madan's vehicle violated air-pollution standards, which has a fine of Rs. 10,000.
A resident of East Delhi's Geeta Colony, Madan's second-hand scooter, worth a humble Rs. 15,000, was impounded by cops, implying that he will now have to pay it either online or in court. However, Madan has refused to pay the burly amount. "I have not violated any traffic rules. They asked me to produce the documents in 10 minutes, which was impossible," he stated.
On a related note, Delhi Traffic Police issued as many as 3,900 challans, including 557 challans for dangerous driving, 45 for driving under influence, 42 for over speeding, and 207 for red light jumps, on the first day of implementation of the new Bill. Similarly, Noida Traffic Police issued a total of 1,329 challans on the second day of coming of new traffic rules.
Notably, under the amended Motor Vehicles Act, penalties have gone upto as high as 20 times, and certain new rules have been introduced. Fine for driving without license has been hiked from Rs. 500 to Rs. 5,000. Further, penalty for jumping red lights has been upped by 10 times to Rs. 1,000. Separately, not giving way to emergency vehicles could cost you Rs. 10,000.
Reportedly, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari, said last month that the new Act, which replaces the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, aims to "instill fear" in those who violate traffic norms. He further said that an "intelligent traffic system" will now monitor traffic-related offenses. The penalties for traffic violations and general offenses had not been raised since 1988.
