Nikita Vashisht
Moneycontrol News
The Centre plans to hold discussions with opposition leaders on Wednesday to seek an early passage of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill 2016 in the Rajya Sabha.
Once voted into law, the Bill will pave the way for a host of reforms, including imposing hefty penalties for traffic violations, a ten-fold increase in compensation for families of accident victims, check bogus driving license, vehicle thefts and regulate of taxi aggregators such as Ola and Uber.
It was passed in the Lok Sabha in April and has been listed for passage in the Upper House several times since the Parliament’s monsoon session began on July 17.
Top sources said that road transport minister Nitin Gadkari now wants an all-party meeting with the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson on Wednesday to seek a consensus on the passage of the Bill, steering clear of repeated disruptions on a host of other issues that have dominated Parliamentary proceedings so far.
Also Read: Parliament to take up Motor Vehicle Act Amendment Bill: All you need to know
Road safety has become a major subject of public importance in the wake of rising accidents. Nearly 1.5 lakh Indians lost their lives in road accidents last year.
The government is keen to get the Bill passed in the current session, so that the necessary rules related to the legislation can be notified quickly, making the new law effective as soon as possible.
It proposes radical reforms including making Aadhaar mandatory for obtaining driving licence, five times hike in fine for rash driving and mandatory alteration of vehicles for specially-abled people among others.
The new law will replace the 30-year old Motor Vehicles Act 1989, which experts say had many gaps given the rapid changes in road transport dynamics and technological developments.
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