Opposition prevents introduction of Motor Vehicles Bill in RS

The Lok Sabha had passed the bill yesterday. “Five lakh accidents happen in the country every year resulting in the deaths of over 1.5 lakh people. The current law has several lacunae. I request the members to take up this matter,” Gadkari said.

He added that four people die every minute in the country due to road mishaps.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, however, said that since it was not included in today’s business list, the bill cannot be taken up.

Gadkari said the legislation has been drafted taking into confidence various political parties and therefore the opposition should not oppose it.

Sitaram Yechury (CPI) said he was aware of the urgency to introduce the bill but as it has a lot of complications, because of which there is a need to “seriously deliberate” on the matter.

Azad said the leaders of the various political parties are likely to meet tomorrow and if there is a consensus, then the bill could be taken up tomorrow for consideration.

The Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill seeks to bring radical reforms in the transport sector by ensuring 100 per cent e-governance, checking bogus driving licenses and vehicle thefts, slapping heavy penalty on traffic violators.