Uttarakhand becomes second state after Gujarat to relax strict penalties for traffic violations under Motor Vehicles Act

Dehradun: The Uttarakhand government has relaxed the quantum of certain fines levied under the new Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act 2019. The Act was notified by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways last month and came into effect from 1 September.[caption id="attachment_7328231" align="alignleft" width="380"]

File image of Uttarakhand minister Madan Kaushik. ANI[/caption]Announcing the slew of relaxations in penalties imposed as per the new rule, Uttarakhand minister Madan Kaushik announced on Wednesday that driving without a license would now invite a fine of Rs 2500 instead of Rs 5000 as levied under the new Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act 2019."Driving without a license or driving by an underage driver would now invite a fine of Rs 2500 instead of Rs 5000. Earlier it was only Rs 500," said Kaushik. "Those who have been declared ineligible to hold a license if found driving a vehicle will be imposed with a fine of Rs 5000 and not Rs 10,000 as imposed by the Centre," he said.However, the state government is in congruence with several of the fines imposed under the new Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act 2019 and has made no changes in it. "There are no changes in the fine imposed for over-speeding of vehicle. The Centre has kept it Rs 2000 and we have kept it same," he said.The new Motor Vehicles Act has enhanced the penalties for traffic violations and erring drivers.