Have discretion to ease fines but not mulling to dilute them: Kailash Gahlot

Transport minister Kailash Gahlot on Wednesday said that out of 61 traffic offences under the amended Motor Vehicles (MV) Act, there are 34 offences for which the Delhi government can fix compoundable penalties. He said these fines can either be 100% or less than the prescribed fee under the new law.

Compounding of challans means on-the-spot settlement between the enforcement agencies (traffic and transport officers) and the offender. The MV Act empowers the state government to notify the compounding rates, or the amount that must be paid on the spot to settle the fine. However, there is no time limit for a state to issue the notification. Besides, it is also not mandatory for a state to notify the compounding fee.

Delhi is yet to notify these rates because of which all challans being issued are currently court challans, i.e., they can only be settled in courts.

Addressing a press conference, Gahlot said road safety is a “major concern” in Delhi and that the government is “very serious” about it.

“Though the state governments have certain discretionary powers to ease the penalties with respect to certain offences as per the new MV Act, as of now, the Delhi government is not mulling to dilute them since the stringent measures are meant to ensure road safety,” Gahlot said.

When asked if the government will reduce the penalties, the minister said, “We are closely observing the initiatives by other states and consulting with various stakeholders. At any stage, if the Delhi government is convinced that it must reduce the penalties for certain offences, we will do the needful,” Gahlot said.

The compounding amount for the 34 offences can either be 100% of the penalty under the Act or it less than that, he said. “Some states have started to act on this. Gujarat has made the announcement of reducing fines on 17 traffic offences and no copy of its notification has been received by us as yet,” Gahlot said.