Source: livemint.com
RANCHI : Giving relief to motorists under the new Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act, that came into force from this month, the Jharkhand government has decided to postpone its implementation for the next three months.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, during a review meeting on Friday, directed the transport department to open facilitation centres across the state to enable people get their documents in order in the next three months.
The Jharkhand government has asked state residents to complete all their documents within three months while putting the provisions of the Act on hold for the period.
“Taking cognisance of people’s safety some amendments were made in the Motor Vehicle Act by Centre. However, taking note of the issues people are facing, we have decided to give three-month relief to people so that they can get their documents in order,” Jharkhand Transport Minister CP Singh told ANI.
The chief minister has asked people to abide by traffic rules and refrain from rash driving. In view of the heavy fine under the Motor Vehicles Act, several state governments have decided to put its implementation on hold. Gujarat and Uttarakhand have even announced a cut in penalties for traffic violations under the Act.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had said that the Central government did not take the states into confidence before implementing the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019.
The new Motor Vehicles Act has enhanced the penalties for traffic violations and erring drivers. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had notified the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act 2019 last month and it was implemented in many states across the nation from September 1.
According to the new law, in case of dangerous driving, first-time offenders face imprisonment of six months to one year and/or fine of between ₹1,000 and ₹5,000. For drunken driving, a violator will have to face imprisonment up to six months and/or a fine of up to ₹10,000 in case of first time offense. For the second offense, there will be a prison term of up to 2 years and/or a fine of ₹15,000 will be levied.
For driving without licence, a motorist will have to pay a penalty of ₹5,000, an increase of 10 times from ₹500.