Government to approve the Road Transport and Safety Bill soon

The Road Transport Ministry is very keen on getting the ‘Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2014’ approved at the earliest. It will be presented in front of the cabinet and Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon.

With the new bill, the government wants to bring down the number of road accidents by 50% in India which account for ~ 5 lakh road accidents annually with upto 1.5 lakh deaths. Out of these, about 4.5 lakh victims are found to be in the age group of 15-45 years of age.

The government is also planning for strict laws and heavy penalties to be imposed on violators.

• Penalty upto Rs. 3 lakh along with 7 year imprisonment for death of a child during road accidents
• Fine of Rs. 5 lakh / vehicle as well as imprisonment for faulty manufacturing design
• Cancellation of licences for rash and negligent driving
• Penalty upto Rs. 1 lakh or imprisonment for 6 months in case of using a vehicle in unsafe conditions

Government will also undertake highway building projects worth Rs. 5 lakh crore and also include four-laning of National Highways. The Prime Minister has also encouraged FDI in the infrastructure space.

Source – ET Auto