New Delhi, September 10: The new Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, under which traffic rules violators are made to pay hefty fines, has landed into a controversy with people expressing sharp disapproval of stringent punishments. Under the new Act, the minimum penalty for driving without licence has been increased to Rs 5,000 from Rs 500. Similarly, fines for violating other traffic rules have also been raised significantly. Many state governments, including the BJP-ruled Gujarat, have not implemented the new Act. Nitin Gadkari Justifies Hefty Fines Under New Motor Vehicle Act.

List of States Where The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act Not Enforced:

Rajasthan: The Congress government in Rajasthan is exploring ways to lighten the heavy fines imposed under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act. Rajasthan Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas termed the new Act "a decision made in haste" and said: "Penalties should be such that people are fearful but can also pay (the fine)." The new Act is yet to be implemented in the state. Gurugram Traffic Police Imposes Rs 59,000 Fine on Trolley Driver for Drunken Driving Under Motor Vehicles Act, Cops in Bhubaneswar and Bengaluru Follow Suit.

Punjab: The Punjab government hasn't started enforcing the new Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act. “There is no denying the fact that traffic rule violation is the major cause of road accidents which claims innocent lives every day and commuters must be hammered down to comply to the traffic rules, but at the same time citizen must not be reel under the burden of huge penalties. For the time being the provisions of the amended Motor Vehicle rules would not be applicable in the state," state Transport Minister Razia Sultana said.

Madhya Pradesh: The Kamal Nath government said the new Act will be enforced once the public gets aware of its provisions and hefty fines under it. State transport minister Govind Singh Rajput has said that a committee would examine the penalties.

Puducherry: State Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said first people will be made aware of penalties for violating traffic rules under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act and then it will be enforced.

Chhattisgarh: The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act is yet to be implemented in Chhattisgarh. "It should not have hefty fines…The state government is examining in which form the act can be implemented. We are also looking at whether the state government can make amendments to it," state Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu said.

Odisha: State Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed the traffic police department not to enforce provisions of the new Motor Vehicles Act aggressively for three months. Meanwhile, the Biju Janal Dal (BJD) will urge the Modi government to amend the Act and lower fines.

Telangana: The KCR government has formed a committee to examine provisions of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act. The panel will recommend its suggestion after studying the Act. Until then, the new set of penalties would not be implemented in the state.

West Bengal: The Mamata Banerjee government said it is not convinced by the provisions of hefty fines and has not enforced the new penalties in the state.

Gujarat: The BJP government is yet to implement the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act. It has asked RTO to submit a report to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on the penalties of the amended Motor Vehicles Act.

In Delhi, the AAP government has enforced the penalties under the new Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act. However, the government was studying how the other states were saying they would "not implement the new law".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2019 01:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).