Tankers on Mangaluru-Bengaluru road declines as LPG pipeline commissioned

Bengaluru, Jan 28: Brace for hefty traffic penalties as the state government is all set to reverse a notification on revised fines which came into effect last September following pushback from road users and opposition parties.

The Karnataka government will implement traffic penalties as stipulated in the amended Motor Vehicles Act, 2019, in a phased manner following a diktat from the Centre. The government did not specify the timeline for it.

“At a recent meeting of transport ministers from various states, the Union government explained why it wanted to implement these huge fines. We found it convincing and will implement it in its original form,” said transport minister Laxman Savadi on Monday.

Savadi said India’s image globally has taken a beating due to the high number of road deaths and the Centre wants to change it at any cost. However, he said the entire set of hefty fines would not be reintroduced all at once.

BJP govt revised rates in Sept

The BJP government last September had revised fines on compoundable offences and those which are fined on the spot by traffic cops by 50%- 80%, barring drunken driving and racing.

As per the revised rates, helmetless riding attracted a penalty of Rs 500 against Rs 1,000 notified by the Centre. Driving without a licence attracted a fine of Rs 1,000 for

two- and three-wheelers and Rs 2,000 for light motor vehicles as against the earlier Rs 5,000 for all types of vehicles.

The central government recently told states and Union Territories they should enforce fines as per the amended Act and they cannot be rolled back. The road transport and highways ministry said fines cannot be reduced below the minimum amount fixed by law, unless the President gives his assent.

Udupi, Jan 16: The mandatory implementation of FASTag, across the country, was not enforced in the toll gates located in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts.

The toll gate personnel cited that they had not received any directions from the NHAI and hence vehicles were being allowed to ply as per the current practice.

As per government order, two gates each have to be reserved for locals, emergency entry and cash transactions. All other lanes are to be used for FASTag.

Mangaluru, Jun 23: The wholesale fresh fish dealers have voluntarily decided to suspend sale for 10 days from June 24 in the wake of fresh coronavirus outbreak in the region. 

Convening the collective decision of the traders in a letter, K Ashraf, working president of the association of Mangaluru fisheries harbour fish traders and commission agents, has urged the deputy commissioner to formally impose ban on fish trade in the city for next 10 days to prevent the spread of the covid-19. 

Mr Ashraf stated that decision was taken as many fish traders suffering from symptoms such as cough, cold and fever for last few days and some of the traders have got themselves admitted in hospitals for treatment. 

The letter urged the DC to prevent and ban unauthorized traders selling fish not only in Bander but also in neighbourhoods like Ullal Kotepur, Hoige Bazar, Bengre, Farangipet, near VRL, Kudroli, Kallapu and Maripalla.