Drive on to strictly enforce traffic rules: Govt assures HC

Bhopal/Jabalpur: In two separate affidavits filed on behalf of the state govt by ADGP (PTRI) and transport commissioner, the govt assured the MP high court that the drive to ensure compliance to Motor Vehicles Act rules by commuters would continue with greater rigour. Counsel for the state govt said that ensuring compliance with the traffic rules is an ongoing process and documents submitted in the court report refer to penalties imposed on commuters for violation of traffic rules. The court has asked the amicus curiae in the case, advocate Dinesh Upadhyay to give his suggestions for better implementation of traffic rules to the counsel for the state govt, and deferred the hearing for four weeks.The ADG and transport commissioner, who were issued a show cause notice by the court in the past for contempt of court for their non-compliance to the court order on complete observance of the Motor Vehicles Act, told the court in their affidavits that every effort is being made to comply with the court direction to ensure implementation of traffic rules by the commuters in the state, including wearing helmets by two wheeler riders, seat belts by four-wheeler riders and putting up high security registration plates (HSRP) on all vehicles.The division bench of MP high court headed by the chief justice had asked the state govt on Monday to present an affidavit on the extent to which its order to ensure strict enforcement of the traffic rules has been complied with and fixed hearing of the case on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the ADGP and transport commissioners filed affidavits on behalf of the state govt.In the previous few hearings of the public interest litigation (PIL) seeking strict enforcement of traffic rules, the state govt had been presenting data in the court on the number of people caught for traffic rule violation and the amount of penalty raised from them.The govt told the court on March 20 that over Rs 1.50 crore were collected as penalty from commuters violating traffic rules in the last 10 days.Aishwarya Shandilya filed the PIL before the Gwalior bench of MP high court citing the death of two two-wheeler riders in a road mishap. She contended that if they were wearing helmets, their lives could have been saved. She further said that both the supreme court and the high court have passed orders from time to time making helmets compulsory for two- wheeler riders.The petition was later transferred before the principal bench in Jabalpur. The court then also included wearing seat belts and putting HSRP on vehicles within the purview of the PIL.