Consider paid if broken: Gujarat to not fine for traffic violation till Oct 27

Gandhinagar, Oct 22: In a move which has come under severe criticism, the Gujarat government on Friday announced that people will not be fined for violating traffic rules for a week due to Diwali festival.

The rule has come to effect from Friday (October 21) and will end on October 27. "Starting today, 21st October, until 27th October Gujarat Traffic Police will not charge any fine from citizens," ANI quoted Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi in a tweet.

However, he asked people to not break the law just because there is no fine traffic violation. "This does not mean you (the public) should not follow traffic rules, but if you make mistake, you will not be paying a fine for it," he stated.

"Diwali is the festival of lights... and comes with the colours of rangoli, lots of sweets, and the excitement of lamps and crackers," Sanghavi said.

It comes at a time when the state is prepping for assembly polls. Hence, the decision has met with severe criticism. Taking swipe at the BJP government, Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani tweeted, "Elections can make you do many things!"

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Singh Chaudhary slammed the state government saying that the decision puts the lives of motorists at risk.

"What rubbish is this! Endangering lives of motorists for votes!! Is this why EC delayed polls so such ridiculous #revdi could be scattered?" Chaudhary said on Twitter.

In Gujarat, offenses relating to drunk driving can lead to a jail term of up to 6 months or fine up to Rs 10,000. The government imposes the fine of Rs 25,000 or up to 3 years in prison for underage driving.