Union Road Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday defended the high penalty under the new motor vehicles act, saying the idea behind it is to make people conform to rules, and asked what is more important — lives or money.
Speaking during a programme in Nagpur, Gadkari tried to address the criticism of the high penalties under the new law, saying only those who were breaking the law were paying fines. “If one does not break the law, why will he need to pay a fine?”
“We are jumping red signals, accidents are happening everyday, people are losing their lives. If people will have fear of law, only then will they follow rules,” he said.
“What is more important — people’s lives or money,” Gadkari asked, when pointed out the high penalty provisions under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
Earlier, he said, people did not take road safety rules seriously and used to get away by paying a small amount. This attitude won’t stop until strict rules are made, the minister added.
“Now people are applying for licences, insurances and purchasing helmets and this would save lives of thousands of people,” he said.
Post Your Comments