Although the new Motor Vehicles Act 2019 has officially come into effect from September 1 last, judging the pan-India mood as of now, it seems that it has run into rough weather. This is since people have already started calling it ‘draconian’ and more interestingly, several states including those ruled or led by BJP have either diluted the law or put it on hold for the time being. The singular reason behind this wide-scale public dissent is very clear-the magnitude of fines in the new law is too hefty to fit appropriately in the Indian context which has over the years been thoroughly acclimatized or rather systemized to a perennially soft traffic disciplinary regime. Fines which hitherto had been minimal, have now been stepped up multiple times and this switch-over from paltry to extreme, bypassing the moderate in between, has been the bone of contention that is sure to cause lasting ripples.

A quick look at some of the new provisions earmarked for the most commonly occurring offences on Indian roads might help in understanding the reasons behind the ‘anger’. Driving without license that attracted penalty of Rs 500 has now been inflated to Rs 5000, without helmet from Rs 100 to Rs 1000, overloading of two wheelers from Rs 100 to Rs 2000, for not wearing seatbelts from Rs 100 to Rs 1000, disobedience of orders of traffic authorities from Rs 500 to Rs 2000 and for a general offence one has to cough up Rs 500 now which was Rs 100 earlier.These are just a few picks from the entire lot where increase of penalties have been of the similar pattern as above. And feeling the public pulse, many states have decided to not implement the new Act altogether, giving their respective reasons which ranged from overburdening of common people, increase of corruption through newer routes as so on. Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Punjab all have put it on hold and among poll-bound Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand, only Haryana has implemented it. Both PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah’s home state Gujarat was the most interesting to watch and surprising all others, it has reduced fines by almost 90 per cent. And given the en masse ‘discard’ of the new Motor Vehicle Act, curiosity must now be rising as to how Arunachal treats it in the wake of this rather unexpected development.

It must be without doubt that intentions for which the Act was amended are all commendable. Reducing accidents and ensuring traffic discipline are the issues that really need comprehensive solutions. But since the process of transition is proving to be bumpy, there must now be search for way-outs, which in any case must encompass the much needed factors of sense and sensibility.