Odisha CM declares three-month breather for new Motor Vehicles Act 2019

BHUBANESWAR:  In view of the large scale resentment among the public over implementation of the provisions of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday asked the enforcement agencies not to go on overdrive but counsel and handhold the people to facilitate compliance.

The Chief Minister had to step in after irate public took on the enforcement agencies at the Raj Mahal square here on Saturday. He appealed to people to get papers ready in three months.

“The Transport Department has been directed to augment public services, strengthen facilitation centres, open extra counters, conduct camps in public institutions to enable the vehicle users to update their compliance status,” a release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.

The CMO maintained that this process will continue over next three months so that adequate time is available to the public to ensure compliance. Massive road safety awareness campaign will be carried out to sensitise public on the new norms, it said.

The Chief Minister has requested all motor vehicle users to obey traffic rules and desist from dangerous driving which will endanger their lives and others.

The CMO maintained that the Chief Minister has expressed deep concern over public resentment reported from some parts of the State, particularly Bhubaneswar, on account of the enforcement of the amended provisions of the Act.

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A high-level meeting has been convened by the Commerce and Transport department to discuss the issue and take steps to reduce the amounts of fine for traffic violations proposed in the amended Act.

Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera told media persons here that the Government will take steps to reduce the hefty fines. He, however, maintained that Government cannot change anything in the Act as it has been enacted by the Centre. He said all the issues will be discussed at the meeting on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has criticised the Chief Minister for asking the enforcement agencies to relax implementation of the Act by three months. “When the provisions of the Act were opposed in Parliament by several opposition political parties, BJD MPs extended their support.

The Chief Minister also gave green signal for implementation of the Act in Odisha without any serious thought about the consequences,” OPCC vice-president Arjya Kumar Gyanendra said.

Now, after taking into account response of the public, the Chief Minister has deferred aggressive implementation of the harsh provisions in view of the civic body polls, Gyanendra said and demanded that Odisha should announce not to implement the Act like West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.