NEW DELHI: A bill to ensure tougher punishment for a traffic violation and reforming the licensing system in the country has met another hurdle with no consensus in all party meeting on the passing of the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the monsoon session.
The meeting of leaders of all political parties was called by the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman P J Kurien Thursday to arrive at a consensus as the government wants the bill to be passed in the ongoing monsoon session. Lok Sabha has already passed the bill and now it is pending in the Rajya Sabha.
After the meeting in the Parliament House, it was decided that all parties will give their objections and amendments in writing to Deputy Chairman by Monday.
The Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways will examine it and a written reply will be submitted to Deputy Chairman and after that another, all party meeting will be held.
“If matters are not resolved even after this then Dy Chairman may decide to refer to Select Committee,” said a ministry official.
The Bill amends the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to address issues such as third party insurance, regulation of taxi aggregators, and road safety. Under the Act, the liability of the third party insurer for motor vehicle accidents is unlimited. It caps the maximum liability for third party insurance in case of a motor accident at Rs 10 lakh in case of death and at five lakh rupees in case of grievous injury.
The Bill provides for a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund which would provide compulsory insurance cover of all road users in India for certain types of accidents. It also defines taxi aggregators, guidelines for which will be determined by the central government.