Driving drunk behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle will soon warrant permanent revocation of driving licence. According to a new order issued by Transport Department to penalise serial offenders, drivers of commercial vehicles will lose their right to drive if caught driving in an inebriated state twice in the same year.
“If caught committing the offence twice, the registration certificate and the permit of the driver will be cancelled permanently,” an official of the Department said.
With alarming rise in the number of accidents, the new order also comes down heavily on commercial vehicles involved in killing innocents on city roads.
The permit of the driver will be revoked if the vehicle is found involved in a second fatal accident in the same year. Commercial vehicles caught transgressing routes twice in a year will also lead to cessation of permits of drivers. The Delhi Traffic Police (DTP) is preparing a dossier of traffic violators and repeat offenders who do not abide by permit conditions and Supreme Court’s guidelines. E-challans will be issued against the lawbreakers.
Commercial vehicles registered in Delhi will now have to get a no objection certificate (NOC) from the Transport Department to ply in other States, in case their registration is annulled. “In case the certificate is not taken within 15 days and the vehicle is found to be plying in other States, a penalty of `2,000 per day will be levied. In case of violating Supreme Court’s rules, including not following the lane, overspeeding or not halting at bus stops, the driver’s permit will be cancelled if caught committing such offences four times in a year,” said the official.
Recently, the Transport Department issued a notification on stringent conditions to discipline rogue drivers of commercial vehicles. To make it effective, the plan will work in conjunction with Traffic Police, which will forward data of serial offenders against which the latter will take action. Since its launch in August, Traffic Police have caught 387 commercial vehicles for recurrent permit violations.