The Lok Sabha today passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016 by a voice vote. All amendments moved by the opposition were negated. Stricter penalties are proposed in the bill for high risk offences like drunken driving, dangerous driving, overloading, non-adherence to safety norms by drivers.
The bill provides for facilitating delivery of services to the citizens and transporters. It also proposes Aadhar based verification for grant of online services including learner’s licence. It is expected to ensure the integrity of the online services and also stop creation of duplicate licences.
Replying to a debate, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said, five lakh road accidents and 1.5 lakh death occur every year in the country which is a matter of concern. He said, the bill has been designed to address these problems through different measures.
Mr Gadkari said, the bill has given more thrust on the road safety, controlling pollution and accidents. He said, the government has set a target to cut the death caused due to road accidents by 50 per cent over next five years. Mr Gadkari said, the government has identified 786 black spots across the country and will spend 11 thousand crore rupees to remove them to curtail accident.
Mr Gadkari said, there is a provision of creating fund for providing compensation and medical help to the road accident victims. He also said, the government will try to incorporate the suggestion of members regarding road safety.