Motor Vehicles Bill to be re-introduced without major changes

Changes in the draft essentially mean that the year of the Motor Vehicles Bill 2016 will change to 2019 besides other such technical amendments. But the contents of the bill remain the same.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will re-introduce the Motor Vehicles Bill, which will address the issue of road safety, in the Parliament session with no change in the “spirit” of the earlier Bill that lapsed with the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha.

The proposed Bill would be taken up by the Union Cabinet in its next meeting.

A senior official said the Motor Vehicles Bill will be re-introduced with some changes in the Bill draft, but no change in spirit.

Changes in the draft essentially mean that the year of the Motor Vehicles Bill 2016 will change to 2019 besides other such technical amendments.

“But the contents of the bill remain the same,” the official said, adding that once the Cabinet approves the Bill, it will be tabled in Parliament.

Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has been raising the issue of road safety but the passage of the Bill did not move as planned.

Therefore, the changed law would be a major milestone in his list of achievements in the road sector.

According to the draft, violators of licensing rules would be penalised with fines of up to Rs 1 lakh.

The Bill also provides for a uniform driving licence and vehicle registration processes across various states through the creation of national registers.

Guardians or owners shall be deemed guilty for offences committed by juveniles.

These offences would attract a penalty of Rs 25,000 along with three years imprisonment.

The juvenile would be tried under the Juvenile Justice Act and the registration of vehicle will be cancelled.

The Bill proposes hefty penalties ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 1 lakh and that state governments can even increase the fine up to 10 times.

Victims of hit-and-run cases would now be compensated for up to Rs 10 lakh in case of road accident fatalities.

To improve the registration process for new vehicles, registration at the end of the dealer is being enabled and restrictions have been imposed on temporary registration, the statement said.

The Bill also proposes to mandate automated fitness testing for the transport vehicles with effect from 1 October 2018.

Photograph: B Mathur/Reuters