A fine line to cross

There’s a new danger lurking on the streets of Delhi that’s giving drivers and vehicle owners nightmares. The danger is named New Motor Vehicles Act. Under this act, which was implemented from the starting of this month, hefty challans have been generated and the amounts of the fines are simply mind-boggling. While a Gurugram man got fined Rs 23,000 while riding his scooter, an autorickshaw driver was recently handed a penalty slip of Rs 32,000.

Like most city residents Bharat Madan, a Delhiite, sees this as a welcome move. “This move by the government was much awaited. All developed countries have one thing in common and that is how stringent their laws are and upon breaking them a hefty fine follows. I feel that the motorways will see less number of offenders and accidents after this,” he says. Shubham Mathur, a Delhi based photographer echoes a similar sentiment. To him this move can be a “blessing in disguise” if implemented properly. “Majority of the Indian population is very laid-back and rigid when it comes to following rules. So, only a strict rule like this can refrain us from breaking rules.” He feels that the main reason behind people breaking traffic rules so often is the fact that everyone is in haste.

While many support the decision, some feel that the fine amounts are ridiculously high. “This is definitely an excellent deterrent but the sky-high fines are alarming. Instead of piling up so many charges on top of one another, the police should rather find the bigger offence and charge for that. For example if one person has been held on the charges of not wearing a helmet and for not carrying a license, the offender should be charged only for the amount that is higher and not a sum total of both the charges,” believes Janak Khosla, a South Delhi resident. He feels that if these fines are not reduced later on then Delhi will have much less vehicles left on road. Preksha Jain, a student opines, “Driving in India is a task now. While I feel that this would definitely make people more careful and aware, the government should give people a few warnings (upto three) before charging them. This would be fair to both the public and the administrators.”  

Many others have also pointed out that, as the laws keep getting stricter for drivers and vehicle owners, the administration seems to have forgotten their responsibilities in keeping roads safe too. “The new rules are great. But, who will be responsible for the accidents due to the numerous potholes, broken roads and absence of proper lights, resulting in injuries and deaths of so many?” Jyotsna, a city resident wonders. To few, however, this move seems useless. “Corruption is the main problem. So, many good initiatives have failed before, what’s the guarantee that this one will work out? I think it’s just a matter of a few days before this dies out too,” feels city based cab driver, Santosh Rai. He also adds how drivers mostly tend to break rules at nighttime and at rush hours, which makes it impossible for the police to nab all of them. “It has become a game of fate now. Jiski kismat buri, woh hi phasaa (The one with poor luck, will be the one caught)” he quips.

 The Delhi police have reportedly already issued more than 3,900 challans for various violations. Twitter is flooding with memes as a result.