West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that the amendments in the Motor Vehicles Act were ‘too harsh’ and the State would not implement it.
The Motor Vehicles Act 2019 that came into effect from September 1 imposes hefty fines for traffic violations. The amendment imposes higher penalties for driving errors. For instance, riding a two-wheeler without a helmet would attract a fine of ₹1,000 as compared to ₹100 earlier. Similarly, use of cellphones while driving can invite a fine between ₹1,000 and ₹5,000 — up from ₹1,000. This apart, racing and speeding will lead to imprisonment up to one month while offences relating to accidents can land the driver behind bars for up to six months.
“We had opposed the amendments in Parliament. If we implement the Motor Vehicles Act amendments, it will hurt general people,” Banerjee told newspersons here on Wednesday.
According to her, money cannot be the solution to the problem and things have to be looked at from the “humanitarian point of view”.
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