Drunk Auto Driver, Owner Slapped With Rs 47,500 Fine In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: An auto-rickshaw owner and its driver felt the heat of the revised traffic rules when they were fined a whooping Rs 47,500 by the Regional Transport Office (RTO) here for violating traffic rules on Wednesday.

The challan was issued against Nayagarh resident Kanduri Khatua, the owner of vehicle bearing number plate OR02AQ-2243), and driver Haribandhu Kanhar of Badagad. Haribandhu was reportedly intercepted for drunken driving near Acharya Vihar Square in the city.

According to the challan, the penalty includes:

1. Rs 500 for general offence
2. Rs 5,000 for having invalid driving license (DL)
3. Rs 10,000 for violating permit conditions
4. Rs 10,000 for drunken driving
5. Rs 10,000 for violating air/noise pollution
6. Rs 5,000 for allowing unauthorised person to drive vehicle
7. Rs 5000 for using vehicle without registration and fitness certificate
8. Rs 2,000 for plying the vehicle without insurance.

Initially, the driver was penalised for driving in an inebriated state. Haribandhu was later slapped with the hefty fine of Rs 47,500 when he failed to produce the mandatory documents.

In an attempt to improve road safety, the Centre has implemented revised traffic rules from September 1. The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which was passed in Parliament last month, attracts harsher penalties for traffic violations.