New Motor Vehicles Act: Over 6,00,000 Vehicles Remain Off Roads in Delhi

New Delhi: Almost 6,00,000 vehicles remained off the roads of Delhi on Thursday, as drivers and owners of a large number of auto rickshaws, taxis, Ola and Uber cabs and commercial buses that ferry students to and from schools participated in a one-day strike in protest against the exorbitant increase in penalties and limiting third party liability of insurance that have come into force with the new Motor Vehicles Act.

Talking to NewsClick, Harish Sabharwal of United Front of Transport Associations (UFTA), an umbrella body of 41 associations that took part in the strike, said, “The government should have gradually increased the penalties. Most of the drivers are not educated enough to know about all the rules. It is the government’s responsibility to first educate the people and then increase the fine. This step taken by them will only lead to exploitation of the drivers and owners by the traffic police.”

According to Ravinuthala Lakshmaiah, the deputy general secretary of All India Road Transport Workers’ Federation (AIRTWF), after sensing massive opposition to the Act, several state governments, including the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states and Opposition-ruled states, who voted in Parliament in favour of amendments in the Act, are running for cover.

The state governments of Congress, Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, Telangana Rashtra Samithi in Telangana, YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh have already postponed implementation of the revised penalties. The Congress-led Rajasthan government has reduced penalties. BJP-ruled states like Karnataka and Maharashtra have also postponed its implementation, while the Gujarat and Jharkhand governments have already cut the penalty rates. Bihar’s BJP-Janata Dal (United) government has kept it in abeyance.

Lakshmaiah said, “The essence of the amendments is that fear is the key to enforce safety mandates and that drivers are exclusively responsible for accidents”. He added “But, what is the reality? Lack in traffic infrastructure, bad road conditions, defects in construction of the roads etc are major factors for accidents. Further, non-availability of adequate public transport and encouragement to private vehicles by giving low or interest-free loans have flooded the roads with motor vehicles. All these are contributing to the accidents. Without addressing all these issues, mere enhancement of penalties will not reduce accidents.”

Huge increase in the penalties, including almost a ten-fold increase in fines and in the provision of imprisonment in the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, even for minor offences, such as not wearing a helmet, not strapping the seatbelt, delayed insurance renewal and license renewal, etc., which came into force across the country on September 1, have led to anger among drivers of all kinds of motor vehicles across the country. According to the central government, the penalties will increase by 10% on April 1 every year.

Lakshmaiah said, “The real purpose of amendment is aimed at handing over the entire road transport sector, both passenger and goods, to giant corporations. There was no provision in the original Act of 1988; but, now, in this amendment in 2019, a provision has been made for them in the name of ‘Aggregators’. This is the main purpose of the amendment. If the entire road transport sector is taken over by giant corporates, the workers will be the first victims. The people at large will have to bear the burden of higher fares.” He also said that provision has been made for big companies to set up vehicle-testing centres. After the notification by the government, no vehicle can obtain a fitness certificate without going to these corporate testing agencies. 

Sabharwal told NewsClick, “We are also protesting against the provision that limits third party liability of insurance to only Rs 5,00,000, that has come into force with the new Motor Vehicles Act. Earlier, there was no limit to this liability. Now, the operator will have to pay the remaining amount. They are trying to shut down our businesses.”

The unions have also demanded that provisions of life insurance and medical insurance be made for the drivers of commercial vehicles. Sabharwal said, “The government had promised that they will make a provision for this. However, they failed to keep that promise. On one hand, they create these oppressive rules that will take us out of business, and on the other, they fail to make any provisions for our protection.

Hinting at intensification of the agitation, Lakshmaiah said, “It is the experience that the Modi government does not listen to people in normal ways. Its prime task is to protect and safeguard profiteering of corporates. Hence, a strong resistance movement at the national level, is the only way out.”