Odisha: You Can Lose Your DL For These Violations; No Mercy For First-Time Offenders

Bhubaneswar: Over-speeding can cost you the driving licence (DL)! The Odisha government has decided to crack the whip on rogue motorists and even a first-time traffic rules violator will be not be spared.

In a letter, Transport Commissioner Arun Bothra has asked Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) to strictly implement cancellation of driving licence of the offenders as directed by the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety.

On August 18, 2015, the committee said that driving licence should be suspended for not less than three months for high-speed driving, carrying overload in goods carriage, carrying persons in goods carriage, drunken driving and using mobile phone while driving under Section 19 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 read with Rule 21 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989.

During a review meeting held on November 9, 2020, the Committee directed to strictly implement the Sec 194 (penalty for non-wearing protective headgear) of the Act.

Citing a Crime Branch report, Bothra said 40,319 e-challans were issued for over-speeding cases from January to June 2021 while only 4027 DLs (10 per cent) were suspended.

“During the year 2020, 72 per cent of road accidents were caused due to over-speeding and these contributed to 73 per cent of total fatalities. This implies that strict enforcement actions against these drivers are not being taken,” he noted.

As enforcement plays a crucial role in reducing road accidents and fatalities, the RTOs have been directed to strictly implement the guidelines and achieve 100 per cent DL suspension.