THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cabinet on Monday decided to retain the fine for driving under the influence of alcohol and without valid licence at Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000, respectively, even as it brought down the hike announced by the Centre in various categories under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019. The fine for allowing the minor to drive too has been retained at Rs 25,000.
Fine for not wearing helmet and seat belt has been reduced by half to Rs 500. Using mobile phone while driving will cost Rs 2,000 apart from community service.
The Cabinet decision has ended the confusion regarding the implementation of the law which came into effect from September 1.
Several states had slashed the fine amount, but Kerala chose to wait for clarification on the provisions from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) before announcing a final decision.
“The decision to reduce the fine was taken following public protest. We’ve taken legal opinion and are ready to face any legal challenge that we might come across,” said Transport Minister A K Saseendran.
The minister said new rates would be published in the gazette, most probably in a week’s time.
For speeding, the fine will be Rs 1,500 in the first instance and Rs 3,000 for repeat offences. In a major relief to freight carriers, the fine for overloading has been reduced from Rs 20,000 to Rs 10,000.
Cabinet brings down fine amount for 12 offences
In total, the government has brought down the fine amount for 12 offences. It has, however, introduced a fresh fine of I4,000 for a repeat offence of driving without vehicle insurance. The fine for first instance of offence has been retained at I2,000. The government has raised the fine for driving vehicles without registration or fitness certificate from I2,000 to I3,000. The offences which are not mentioned in government notification would continue to charge higher fines, as stipulated in the Central law. The Motor Vehicles Department had recently issued a circular relaxing the fine for licence renewal if the application is made within a year after date of expiry of licence.