Traffic violation: At least 1,900 prosecuted after revision of fines for offences under MV Act

KOLKATA: After the state government revised the penalty chart with increased fines for offences under Motor Vehicles Act, more than 1,900 people were prosecuted on Wednesday. About 576 people were prosecuted under the amended sections of the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act.

However, cops are putting more stress on making people aware about the newly implemented traffic fines so that they follow the norms to avoid prosecution.

According to police, on Wednesday 409 people were slapped a fine amounting to Rs 40,9000 for not wearing helmets while riding two wheelers. About 45 people were prosecuted for driving dangerously under section 184 MV Act worth Rs 22,5000. This apart, 13 people were prosecuted for not having insurance for their motor vehicle.

Sources informed that Kolkata Police was laying more stress on making people aware about the newly-implemented traffic fine amounts so that motorists do not violate the rules. "As the fine amounts of the amended sections are very high, we are requesting people to follow the rules accordingly to avoid prosecution. Our aim is not slapping huge fines on people. We want them to drive safe by following the rules which reduce the chances of an accident," said a traffic cop.

Earlier, the state Transport department on Monday issued a notification mentioning major changes in fine amounts for violation of traffic rules. According to the new set of fine amounts, riding a two wheeler without wearing a helmet is going to be expensive as from now on the offending rider will be slapped a fine of Rs 1000 instead of Rs 100.

Also, the driving license of the rider may get suspended for a period of three months as well. The fine amount for violation of speed restrictions was Rs 300 which has been extended to Rs 1000 for four wheelers and two wheelers. The fine amount will be Rs 2000 if the vehicle is found repeating the same offence within three years. For dangerous driving, the concerned driver of the two wheeler rider will be slapped a fine of Rs 5000 which was Rs 1000 earlier.

Meanwhile, bus, meter taxi and app cab operators in the city staged protests on Thursday demanding withdrawal of hike in fines for traffic rule violations which the Bengal government had enforced in line with the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act that was passed two years ago.

The operators urged the government to reconsider the decision to hike the fines, which have seen a five to ten-fold increase since earlier this week.