Road Ministry to seek Cabinet approval for new bill soon

The new bill seeks to come down heavily on traffic offenders

The Road Transport Ministry will move the new Bill governing the road sector to the Cabinet soon and hopes to get it passed in the winter session of Parliament.

"I am trying my best to present the Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2014, in the next session of Parliament to get its approval. Very shortly it will be sent for Cabinet and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's approval," Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.

It has been our endeavour to bring down road accidents by 50% in the next two years as India accounts for the highest road accidents and related deaths, Gadkari said on the sidelines of the National Road Safety and Transport Development Councils meeting here.

As high as five lakh road accidents happen in India annually with 1.5 lakh deaths, he said, adding about 4.5 lakh victims of road accidents happen to be in the age group of 15 to 45 years.

Seeking to come down heavily on traffic offenders, government has proposed steep penalties of up to Rs 3 lakh along with a minimum 7-year imprisonment for death of a child in certain circumstances, besides huge fines for violations.

The new Road Safety and Transport Bill 2014 also proposes a fine of Rs 5 lakh per vehicle as well as imprisonment for faulty manufacturing design, besides cancellation of licences for rash and negligent driving.

The Bill, in which states opinions are sought proposes penalty of up to Rs 1 lakh or imprisonment for six months which may extend to one year or both in case of using vehicle in unsafe conditions and state governments suggestions will be incorporated in it.

Gadkari said a multi-mode public transport system was on the anvil incorporating best practices of the advanced nations while at the same time the government was focusing on strengthening road infrastructure.

"Highways building work worth Rs 5 lakh crore is on the anvil under te public-private-partnership mode for four-laning of the NHs," he said.

He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has encouraged FDI in infrastructure space.

The government was promoting ethanol-friendly buses to cut on huge Rs 6 lakh crore import bills on crude in the country besides taking steps to introduce electricity-operated buses, he said.

"We will request the Finance Minister to give concessions to environment-friendly technologies," he said, adding that even if Rs 3 lakh crore is saved out of Rs 6 lakh crore import bills, it will strengthen the economy.