Fines for all traffic breaches from Jan 1 to 15…..Shashank Rao
If you’ve been postponing fixing that broken tail light, we suggest you get it repaired soon. Between January 1 and 15, which is ‘Road Safety Fortnight’, the state transport department and regional transport offices (RTOs) will be on the lookout for these and other violations. Fines will be levied for things like damaged lights, mismatched fonts on number plates on vehicles among other things.
The transport department has asked Tardeo, Andheri and Wadala RTOs to stop and fine all vehicles breaching even the smallest rule. “We will ensure that motorists are educated about the rules. We will give motorists challans if we find that the vehicle is not in good condition and doesn’t adhere to rules,” said a senior official from the transport department on condition of anonymity, as he is not authorised to speak to the media.
The transport department has set a revenue target of Rs 3,200 crore till March 2011. Sources claim they have already earned Rs 2,200 crore till now and the 15-day programme will help them boost revenue. The minimum fine starts at Rs 100 and can cross Rs 500 in case the fault is severe.
“We expect to go beyond our target to Rs 3,500 crore. Although revenue is important, safety will be our priority during this campaign,” transport commissioner Dilip Jadhav said.
RTO officers will be stationed at various signals and junctions for this purpose. They will also check whether a pillion rider is wearing a helmet, check size and shape of the font on the vehicles number plates, and whether seat belts are being worn by the person sitting next to the driver.
They are also looking at obtaining more revenue by increasing registrations at RTOs, obtaining the recently approved ‘green tax’ – applicable on commercial vehicles that are 8 years old or more and private vehicles that have crossed 15 years. “Every RTO has been given a target to achieve by March,” said an official from the RTO on condition of anonymity.