Government to assess need for new Motor Vehicle Act

An expert group on Wednesday suggested overhauling the existing Motor Vehicle Act incorporating best road practices in nations like China and Japan to suit the current requirement of the sector and minimise accidents.

"Sundar Committee has presented its report to us which speaks about various reforms required in the legislation governing the road sector. The Ministry will review it and soon take a decision as to whether we need a new Motor Vehicles Act," Transport Minister CP Joshi told reporters.

The need for amending the present Act or replacing it by an entirely new legislation will be assessed soon, he said.

"The report of the Committee will be examined and with the approval of the government, the Ministry would approach Parliament to introduce a new Bill," an official statement meanwhile said.

"A comparison with the contemporary Act in neighbouring countries such as China, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia would also be required so that the best practices suitable for our country could be adopted," it added.

The expert panel's report suggests measures to ensure safety on roads to minimise accidents in the wake 1.2 lakh people falling victim to it, stricter punitive provisions for road safety and use of information technology in vehicular management, Joshi said.

The Committee, headed by former Road Secretary S Sundar has also suggested measures like portability of number plates in case of vehicle re-registration in a different state besides it bats for cancellation of licences in case of repeated violation of road laws.

"We have re-drafted the Bill in such a fashion that it takes care of requirements for the next two decades," Committee Chairman Sundar said while presenting the report to the Minister.

The Ministry was in the process of amending the Act for long to meet challenges like safety and security or road users and a Bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha in May 2007.

However, it was referred to a parliamentary panel and the Ministry incorporating its suggestions constituted by a panel, headed by S Sundar, former Road Secretary to review the Bill, which submitted its report on Wednesday.

The Committee had held about 40 meetings and incorporated 90 suggestions from various stakeholders and experts from the road sector.