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Violators of traffic rules may soon find road ahead rough City may be the first in India where the amended Motor Vehicles Act will be implemented............Ashutosh Shukla If plans go as scheduled, Mumbai could be the first city in India where the recent amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act are put into effect. NGOs and the government machinery gave the plan a thumbs up at a meeting on Tuesday on the proposed amendments by the state. Chaired by the project manager for the Mumbai Transformation Support Unit (MTSU), UPS Madan, the meeting was attended by traffic experts, RTO officials, Mumbai traffic police, driving schools, private bus operators, car services, NGOs and representatives of automobile associations. Issues ranging from infrastructure set up, expense, time factor, changes to the law, training the trainers were also discussed. "The plan is good but it may not work unless a comprehensive database is developed and smart card licences are provided to all," Neera Punj, convenor of Citispace, said. At present, the state has 1.5 crore licence holders, of which 50 lakh are in Mumbai. Only 9 out of these 50 lakh have smart card. The three RTOs in the city can only convert 1,000 old licences to new ones each day. The main glitch in the system's functioning is infrastructure. CCTVs, card readers and a centrally-monitored system will be required for the plan to work. Madan said once the system was worked out, it would be helpful even in emergencies like bomb blasts. "We sometimes have the numbers but it takes a long to get to registration details," he said. Madan added that the suggestions would be sent to the state and then to the central government. "The central government would consider if the amendments should be applied to the country or be made state-specific," he said. "We want to begin early next year. We can also delegate work like building database to another agency," Madan said. He added that CCTVs would be expensive, but work could being at prominent junctions. The amendments would introduce the driver violation points (DVP) system in which points for violation of rules will be added to the errant drivers? licences. A person who receives 10 points would be sent a notice; over 12 points would lead to suspension of the licence. Each offence would carry DVPs and even a fine. There are 49 offences with a maximum 12 points for poor brake system, rash driving, and illegal racing. For those who follow traffic rules, bonus points are awarded to encourage them. "You should give more bonus points to good drivers," said Nitin Dossa, executive chairman Western Indian Automobile Association. He said the bonus point system could be further worked out with insurance policies. "You need change the speed limit on highways. Also, the experience of drivers should be two years," he said. The amendment suggests that drivers should not be allowed on highways or expressways for four years after they receive their permanent licence. Disorganised training and inexperienced trainers were stressed upon during the meeting. "People do not understand yellow lines and boxes. Some do not even put the number plates properly," said PN Helekar of Helekar's Defensive Driving Mission. "In many cases, even trainers do not follow rules," said Harish Baijal deputy commissioner of police (traffic). Madan said the authorities intended to work with professional driving institutes to train the trainers. "We may even show films or distribute modules in different languages," he said.
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