Now, licence a must to buy your new bike

Kolkata: In a bid to check road accidents, the state government has made possession of driving licence mandatory to buy a motorcycle.

The state Transport department has already sent letters to all its Regional Transport Offices (RTOs), stating that the existing law in this connection has to be enforced properly.

It may be mentioned that as per the Central Motor Vehicles Act, it is mandatory to show driving licence before buying a motorcycle. But a large section of bike dealers hardly check whether a prospective buyer of a two-wheeler possesses a driving licence or not.

Now, the top brass of the state Transport department has taken up the matter and made possession of driving licence mandatory to buy a motorcycle. A person interested in buying a motorcycle will have to produce driving licence to the dealer, who in turn will send the documents to the RTO. The applicants also have to appear before the RTO and show the driving licence.

Only after the clearance is given by the RTO, can the dealer sell a motorcycle to a person.

Suvendu Adhikari, the state Transport minister, said: "Why should one buy a motorcycle if the person does not know how to ride the same?" He further said: "The law in this connection already exists. We are now taking steps to implement it properly."

Sources said that the step has been taken after a survey revealed that a large number of victims of bike accidents didn't possess driving licence. Many teenage boys ride motorcycles without having any proper training and many of them hardly bother to follow traffic norms, which lead to accidents. So, the state Transport department has decided to take the step to ensure that no bike is sold to a person who doesn't have a driving licence.

It may be mentioned that the state government has taken up several steps to check road accidents and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had launched the state-wide awareness campaign "Safe Drive Save Life". It has helped to bring down the number of road accidents in the state.

Earlier, the state government had directed authorities of all petrol refilling stations in the state that petrol cannot be sold, if a biker comes without wearing helmet. Display boards with the message - "No Helmet, No Petrol" - was put up at all refuelling stations and the police kept a close watch to ensure that it is followed.