Deepak Laad
The government’s concern for the safety of its citizens and anxiety to keep them out of harm’s way is well-grounded no doubt, but the new schedule of steeper fines, running in thousands, reads like a menu card of a five-star hotel in a developing economy.
The rates are already high and yet there is provision in the amended act to hike the amount of fines by 10 % annually.
In some states, the moment the new act took effect, traffic police sprang into action and few tragicomic incidents came to light.
In Gurugram, adhering very strictly to the letter of amended provisions the over-enthusiastic traffic police fined an auto rickshaw driver Rs 47,500, almost twice the cost of second hand rickshaw he drove to earn his livelihood. A scooterist was fined Rs 28,000. The ramshackle ‘machine’ he rode was worth Rs 18,000 and he had no money to pay the fine. When a TV reporter asked him what he would do, he said since he had violated the act, there was no excuse and would somehow arrange money to pay up the fine.
Hope the unscrupulous rich and powerful had the same kind of truthfulness and suffered guilty conscience every time they evaded tax or siphoned ill -gotten wealth out of the country.
These people who impoverish the nation by causing flight of nation’s wealth to foreign shores are more dangerous than traffic rule breakers, as annually 8 lakh poor children die of malnutrition compared with 1.5 lakh dying in road mishaps.
We know the dire conditions in which necessitous and impecunious rickshaw and truck drivers are living these days, as with each passing day the work is shrinking due to slowdown in the economy. After feeding the hungry mouths at home, they are, normally, not left with enough money for timely renewals of permits and documents.
Though the nation’s per capita income has risen by 10% this year, still it is a meager Rs 10,534 per month. A Rs 40,000 fine is equivalent to almost losing four month’s income. In some cases the person will be forced to raise loans to stay out of jail. Such situations would leave their families to starve.
This government now in its second term still lacks foresight and is short on decision making capabilities. It always starts with a bang and then ends with a whimper -whether it is budget proposal or law enactments.
After talking a rigid position on some budget proposals it has relented and agreed for roll-backs.
The initially unyielding union transport minister on steep hikes in fines has now relented after his own party government in Gujarat scaled the fine amounts downward.
Now suddenly it has dawned on him that since MV act comes under the concurrent list, states too have powers to frame rules under amended act.
Our state government should follow the Gujarat model of reduced fines. For obvious reasons violations such as drunken driving, minor driving and signal breaking need to be dealt with differently with stipulations of steeper fines.
The motor vehicle rules largely affect the auto, truck drivers and common folks who are halted frequently for minor offence and document checking , but the VIPs, powerful politicians and their cronies who flout rules blatantly are seldom stopped and questioned.
Goons of politicians get away with without paying applicable toll tax for the motorcade and whack the toll plaza staff if they dare ask them to pay. In all the motorcycle rallies of political parties many participants ride helmetless, and the police choose to look the other way to avoid unwanted commotion.
Things are not different in our state. In the rally taken out through the city streets to celebrate victory in neighboring village panchayat polls, boisterous party workers were seen squatting on car bonnets and crowding the car tops. The submissive policemen clearing the way for the irrepressible politician’s motorcade clearly lacked courage even to rebuke his errant supporters, fining them is a distant
thing.
Recently Bhubaneshwar MLA Anant Jena went to a venue to sensitize citizens on new motor vehicles rules, after parking his car in a no parking zone.
Actions of law enforcers too are not uniform and depend on their whims and fancies. On a particular day they will fine only two wheeler riders without helmets and wouldn’t bother about rule breaking four wheelers.
They will lock one or two vehicles parked on footpath or in no parking zone, but slink away on finding ten or more vehicles parked in those prohibited spaces.
Chaos and congestion caused at the entrance of malls and casinos due to disorderly parking of vehicles is an everyday affair, but traffic police are conspicuous by their absence.
The fine imposing government should be duty-bound to provide pothole-free roads, banner-free roadsides, functioning traffic signals and streetlights in working conditions.
Persons suffering injuries in accidents caused on account of shortcomings and negligence on the part of the government need be compensated.
Otherwise the fines collection process would be nothing but mere act of extortion by
the state.
