Almost two dozen buses were slapped with a fine of ₹10,000 each till Saturday evening by teams enforcing the Transport Department’s lane discipline drive on the Capital’s streets. The drive had commenced on Friday.
Both Delhi Transport Corporation and cluster bus drivers were among those issued fines, said a senior Transport Department official.
Lanes have been segregated exclusively for buses and goods carriers on 15 arterial corridors in the city. It is to be gradually increased to 46 routes, spread over more than 475 km. These lanes are out of bounds for other vehicles between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. but open for use by all vehicles from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Points of concern
Seven drivers were penalised on Friday, while 16 more were issued challans till Saturday evening. The department held a detailed review to assess the first day of the drive, which is being carried out in phases across the city. Locations such as ITO and Azadpur emerged as points of concern, according to sources. The drive is currently in its first phase.
“The idea is to ensure that lane discipline is instilled among all road users. It will also help identify problem points and junctions where bunching of buses occurs so that the resulting congestion can be confronted,” said Ashish Kundra, Transport Secretary-cum-Commissioner.
“In the next few days, we will get data on junctions which are challenging and road stretches where bunching occurs either due to issues related to road design or where, for instance, some construction is under way. One solution which the department is considering is staggered deployment timings for buses plying on congested routes,” Mr. Kundra said.
Fines and more
Under Section 192-A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the first offence leads to a challan of ₹10,000, the second offence results in a challan and a criminal case for dangerous driving.
The third offence, in addition to a challan, can lead to suspension or cancellation of the driver’s licence, and mandatory participation in a month-long driving refresher course; the fourth offence will result in suspension or cancellation of the vehicle’s permit.
Over 250 officials of the Transport Department’s enforcement wing, the cluster division and the Delhi Traffic Police, are carrying out prosecution for vehicles found on the wrong side of their respective lane.
Pictorial proof
Fines, according to the government, are being issued only on the basis of pictorial proof along with geo-tagging to ascertain the coordinates of a lane violation which are assessed before a fine is generated. Buses are not flagged down and prosecuted on the spot to avoid triggering congestion, the official said.
The drive is currently in its first phase during which the government hopes to generate awareness about lane discipline, especially among its own bus drivers, following which it will be extended to more routes and more categories of vehicles over the coming days.
