Centre- State set for face off on tweaking of fines under M V Act

New Delhi, Sep 13: The Ministry of Road and Transport has sought an opinion from the Law Ministry on whether states can tweak the lower limit for fines prescribed in the law.

The opinion was sought after the Gujarat government tweaked some of the fines after the Centre amended the Motor Vehicle Rules, which imposes stricter penalties for road traffic violations.

In the notification, Gujarat imposed fines below the lower limit prescribed by the M V Act. Further, it also altered those fines it is not permitted to change under the Act. Since Road Transport falls under the Concurrent List, the Centre and State are permitted to legislate on the subject.

The Centre had imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 for not wearing a seat belt but had not prescribed the upper and lower limit. The Gujarat government imposed a fine of Rs 500 on the offence.

Further, the Gujarat government also stated that there is no need for a fine if a pillion rider is not wearing a helmet. It also said that an offender will have to pay only Rs 100 in case there is more than one pillion rider. The Centre, however, imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on the person riding the bike and also said that this would lead to disqualification of licence for three months.