More than three months after the Central Government implemented the amended Motor Vehicle Act, Punjab Government on Thursday finally put into force the said act in the State with hefty fines against serious traffic violations.

The Central Government had “astronomically” enhanced the penalties under new motor vehicle act to check the increasing rate of road accidents and menace of drunken or rash driving. However, while implementing the new Act in the State, Punjab Transport Department has made an effort to keep the penalties on the lower side of the prescribed fine window, but it has kept the fine amount lofty in case of serious traffic offences like drunken driving, speeding or racing, driving without seat belt, among others.

Punjab Transport Minister Razia Sultana has all along been maintaining that the State would implement the Act but with low fines as it did not want to burden the people of the State as the Centre has enhanced the fines by almost 10 per cent.

As per the amended Motor Vehicles Act, the States have been given the powers to reduce or amend the harsh penalties. Sultana, a day before following a meeting with the department officials to finalise the amount of fine for various traffic rule violations, had stated that wherever there was a need to deter the motorists from reckless driving or from violating rules, we would go by the harsher fines.

The amended Act has penalties up to 10 times more than the previous amounts. It came into effect in many states on September 1.

As per the official notification issued on Thursday, the State Government has categorized the fine amount in two, that is first offence and the subsequent offence, by almost doubling the fine in the subsequent offences. Some of the offences attract disqualification of license or even imprisonment.

Under the new Motor Vehicles Act, the challans for the traffic violations can be issued only by the officers above or of the rank of Assistant Sub Inspector.

The State has proposed maximum Rs 10,000 fine for not providing way for fire services vehicle or ambulance or other emergency vehicles along with disqualification for holding license for three months, for driving vehicle without permit and violating permit conditions, and for driving vehicle during disqualification or suspension of license or procuring of license when not legally authorized to do so by concealing facts — similar to the Central Act except vehicle without permit where the Centre has kept fine up to  Rs 10,000.

For the offences like speeding or racing, the state has kept Rs 5,000 for the first offence, and Rs 10,000 for the subsequent offences, against the Centre’s Rs 5,000 fine.

For driving without helmets by driver or pillion rider, the fine is Rs 1000 plus disqualification of license for three months — same as the Centre’s. Likewise, the state has kept the Rs 1000 fines for not wearing the seatbelts or carrying a child below 14 years without wearing a seat belt or child restraint system.

The state has not amended the Centre’s penalty for drunken driving, which is between rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000.

For dangerous driving or using handheld communication devices by the driver while driving, the state has kept the fine at Rs 2000 at the first offence and Rs 10,000 at the second offence against the Centre’s Rs 1000 up to Rs 5000 and/or six months-one year imprisonment.