The transport department of the Delhi government,in coordination with Delhi Traffic Police,has come up with a policy for taking action against transport vehicles involved in repeated offences. This move comes after the December 16 gangrape case in which a 23-year-old woman was raped aboard a moving bus allegedly by five men and a juvenile. A data bank of offences committed by transport vehicle drivers will be maintained so that suitable action can be taken against a driver in case of multiple offences. The Delhi Police will send cases to the transport department in which a particular driver has committed an offence at least three times in a year recommending cancellation of driving licence and badge by State Transport Authority (STA). The meeting for finalising the policy was held on August 12. Now that the e-challan system has become functional,it is easier for us to maintain a database on repeat offenders. We will share this with STA. We have already started sharing data concerning vehicles which have been involved in more than two serious offences, Addl CP (Traffic) Anil Shukla said. In case of drink driving,if there is a violation of permit condition - a change in route or the vehicle being used for a different purpose than the one for which the permit was issued the licence of the driver would be cancelled or suspended. If such offences are committed a second time,the drivers licence and badge will be cancelled. Traffic police will be sending us data of cases where the same offence was committed by a particular vehicle three times in a year so that we can cancel the drivers licence and badge. If the offence is committed by the second driver of the same vehicle,similar action will be taken. The permit and the registration of the vehicle shall be cancelled in the event of six such offences in a year, transport commissioner Puneet Goel said. In case a driver does not have a valid driving licence,the vehicle will be fined and impounded by the enforcement agencies. Once this matter is forwarded to us,we will initiate action to cancel the permit and registration of the vehicle, Goel said. Transport vehicles caught plying without valid permit or fitness certificate will be fined and impounded by enforcement agencies for 15 days. In case the vehicle is plying without a valid permit,it will only be released when the owner of the vehicle gets the permit renewed. In case the owner fails to do so,the vehicle will remain impounded indefinitely. If fitness certificates are not renewed within 15 days,the enforcement agencies will have to report the matter to the transport department for cancellation of registration of such vehicles, Goel said.
