Ensuring that ‘law is equal for all’, the Traffic police here on Saturday imposed a fine on School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash and Baleswar Sadar MLA Swarup Das for violating traffic rules.
The police imposed a penalty of Rs 1,000 on the Minister and the MLA for driving a motorcycle without wearing helmets. The MLA was driving the two-wheeler with the Minister sitting on pillion. None of them was wearing a helmet.
Later, MLA Das turned up at the Traffic police station and deposited the fine amount.
Earlier in the morning, Minister Samir Ranjan Dash made surprise visits to different schools in Baleswar town. Along with MLA Das, he visited the Balasore Town High School and the Barabati Girls’ High School. He held discussions with teachers and students regarding their requirements and reviewed the facilities available in the schools.
The Minister informed that over two lakh students have migrated to Government-run schools from private ones. Around 11,000 new teachers would be appointed in the State, hoping that the Orissa High Court would give permission for the same. The appointment process would begin once Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik returns to the State from his foreign trip, he added.