No plan to slash traffic violation fines, says Delhi govt

The Delhi government on Wednesday said that it had no plans to slash hefty fines for traffic violations under new rules and announced several measures to reduce rush at pollution checking centres.

"As of now, the government is not mulling to dilute the traffic violation penalties since the stringent measures are meant to ensure road safety which is a major concern in Delhi. Delhi government is very serious about it," Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot told ANI.

He, however, said that the government was "closely observing" the "initiatives" of other states and consulting with various stakeholders. "At any stage, if the Delhi government is convinced to reduce the penalties for certain offences, we shall do the needful," Gehlot said.

On Tuesday, Gujarat announced a cut in the penalties for certain traffic rule violations. Karnataka has also decided to follow suit.

The government, in a statement, said it has extended the functioning time of all 941 pollution checking centres in Delhi, increased server capacity two-fold, made certain transport terminals and depots to provide pollution checking services to deal with the heavy footfall.

More pollution checking centres will be opened in the state to fulfil the increased demand, it said.

"The server capacity has been increased nearly twice. Now the transport department can handle 6,000 online applications per hour comparing to 3,200 applications per hour," the government added.

"In centres with an extreme rush, civil defence volunteers will be deployed for crowd management and avert law and order issues. Ten such centres have been identified," it also said.

"There are approximately 70 lakh vehicles on road in Delhi. After the implementation of the MV Act, the transport department has witnessed a threefold increase in the number of applications for pollution certificates from 15,000 to 45,000 on average per day," Gahlot said.

He said the government has been receiving complaints of malpractices at pollution checking centres and assured to take strict action against them. Two centres have been suspended for corruption, he said.