Minister to write to Union minister seeking more clarity on MV fines

Thiruvananthapuram: Close on the heels of Maharashtra's request,Kerala Transport minister A K Saseendran on Monday said he would write to Union minister Nitin Gadkari, seeking more clarity on the exorbitant increase in fines under the amended Motor Vehicles Act.

"We are prepared to wait for some more days until there is a clarity on the issue from the centre," he told reporters after convening a high-level meeting here to discuss the issue

Kerala will also seek flexiblity over fixing of compounding fees.

During the "Onam" celebrations, the state had not implemented the new MV rules.

Kerala's decision on write to the centre comes close on the heels of the Union minister's statement that state governments can decide on the fines.

On September 11, Gadkari, while addressing an event in New Delhi had said that the government's motive behind increasing the fine amount was to save lives of people and not to collect revenue.

"The state government can decide on fines. There is no problem. But this is not a revenue earning proposal. This is for saving lives of people.

We are losing two per cent of GDP due to road accidents.

Is it not the responsibility of the government to save the lives of the people? That is the spirit behind the law.

It was not the intention of the government to increase fine to get revenue for the government," Gadkari had said.

Maharashtra Transport minister Diwakar Raote had requested Gadkari to reconsider and reduce the "exorbitantly increased" fines under the MV Act, while the BJP-ruled government in Gujarat has decided to drastically reduce the fines.

The Jharkhand government has given a three-month breather to its people from the steep fines.