What is Road Safety Bill?

Protesting against the ‘Road Safety and Transport Bill, 2014’, trade unions and private transport bodies have called for suspension of services of buses, lorries and autorickshaws in the district as part of the nation-wide strike on Thursday.

What are its contents?

• The Bill will strengthen the way of Vehicle Regulation and Road Safety Authority
• It will help the authority to issue minimum safety standards for vehicles, roads and its users
• Authority will maintain a National Unified Information System
• New system will have details of vehicle registrations, driving licences, insurance, permits, penalties, accidents, etc.
• People will have only one licence
• The bill proposes a points-based system for recording traffic violations for each licence holder
• Penalty points for a driver will be displayed on his/her record for three years
• A total of 12 points would lead to suspension of licence for one year
• This is over and above the fines and jail terms defined under the act.

Why bus, auto unions are protesting?

According to All India Road Transport Workers' Federation, millions of driver, conductors and other workers will lose their employment if the Bill is implemented. All road transport undertakings will be closed. The Central government may take over the entire core transport sector and privatise the entire system by handing over to corporate.

Transport operators are opposing the provisions in the Bill which would give powers of vehicle registration, issuing of Driving Licences (DL) and Fitness Certificates (FC) to private companies. If a driver is found without driving licence, he will be fined Rs 10,000 and Rs 25,000 if a driver is found using other’s licence although he has his own driving licence. If a vehicle is plied without permit, the first-time penalty would be Rs. 25,000 and Rs.50,000 for subsequent violations.

If a vehicle is plied on roads without registration, it would attract a penalty of Rs 1,00,000. If a two-wheeler is found without insurance, the penalty will be Rs 10,000. For Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) and three-wheelers, the penalty for lack of insurance is Rs. 25,000 and owners of heavy vehicles will have to shell out Rs.75,000.