High Court raps Punjab for lax approach on Motor Vehicle Act

Saurabh Malik

Chandigarh, December 19

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has rapped Punjab and its functionaries for lackadaisical approach in enforcing the Motor Vehicle Act and the rules framed under it.

Acting on a bunch of petitions for prohibiting the plying of modified ‘jugaad’ two-wheelers and overloaded tractor-trailers, Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj of the high court also made it clear that the exercise undertaken by the authorities so far appeared to be an ‘eyewash’. The assertion came as the Bench imposed Rs 50,000 fine each on Hoshiarpur and Patiala Regional Transport Authority secretaries.

Monthly drive

A periodic monthly drive ought to be undertaken by the law enforcement agencies against unauthorised vehicles plying on road or being oversized/overloaded. Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj

Justice Bhardwaj also underscored the need for immediate and effective action in the matter by asserting that: “Effective steps for enforcing provisions of Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, and the rules framed there under shall be duly taken by the respondents. A periodic monthly drive ought to be undertaken by the law enforcement agencies against unauthorised vehicles plying on road or being oversized/overloaded. Such drives should be informative as well as punitive and appropriate challans/impounding be done as per law.”

The matter was brought to Justice Bhardwaj’s notice after Parvinder Singh Kittna, Harpal Singh and other petitioners through counsel HC Arora, Payal Mehta and Abhinav Singla moved the court, alleging that the modified vehicles were roaming around ‘overloaded, freely and without fear’ with the respondents doing bare minimum despite earlier directions by the court to adhere to and enforce the law in this regard.

Justice Bhardwaj asserted that apparently the exercise undertaken by the respondents was merely an eyewash instead of ensuring a meticulous compliance of the rule of law and making certain effective implementation of the mandate of the Act and the rules framed under it.

Disposing of the plea, he added that the photographs appended with the petition established that the provisions of the Act and the rules were being violated and the steps taken by the respondents were inadequate.