With the Rajya Sabha passing the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019, on Wednesday, we can hope it will bring some discipline on the country's roads, especially in Mumbai, where chaos is all that one can witness during busy and peak hours. After the Bill goes to the Lok Sabha for a couple of corrections, it would be sent to the President for his assent, which in turn would make it a law. The Bill has been based on the recommendations of the Group of Transport Ministers of states constituted by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

Strict punishments

According to sources, the much-needed amendments would improve road safety, help citizens to deal with transport departments, strengthen public transport and last mile connectivity through computerisation and online services. The Bill allows the central government to order recall of motor vehicles if defects in them cause damage to the environment, or the driver, or other road users. It further provides for online learner's licence with mandatory online identity verification driving test, defines aggregators as digital intermediaries to connect with a driver for transportation purposes (taxi services). As per the proposal, the central government might increase fines mentioned under the Act every year by up to 10 per cent. Further, the Bill increases penalties for several offences under the Act.