Even as several other states have decided to decrease the fine for traffic violation under the stringent Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee nipped the issue in the bud by announcing that the Act will not be implemented in the state.
Announcing her decision at a recent press conference, Mamata described the Act as “very harsh” and said that it will not be implemented in Bengal as as the state government officials are of the opinion that the proposed hefty fines will put financial burden on the people.
“We will not implement the Act as our government officials are of the opinion that it will put a huge financial burden on the people. The Act is very harsh,” Mamata said while speaking to reporters at the State Secretariat.
The chief minister alleged that the manner in which the bill was passed was against the federal structure and the TMC had opposed it in the Parliament.
"One (the Centre) can not take such a decision in a unilateral manner which can harm the people," she said.
Arguing that the issue of traffic rule violation can not be resolved just by imposing a hefty fine, Mamata said that it should be addressed in a humanitarian manner with focus on increasing public awareness.
She also said that the West Bengal government has already initiated the Safe Drive Save Life program which has brought down the number of road accidents.
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