After MV ACT, Odisha pollution norm eased for 30 days

The Odisha government has decided to relax the compliance norms in cases of air and noise pollution under the new motor vehicles act for a period of 30 days over paucity of pollution-testing centres in the state.

“In view of long queues for pollution test in the state, the government has decided not to charge ₹10,000 as penalty for air and noise pollution from violators for the next 30 days. This is effective from September 6,” state commerce and transport secretary G Srinivas told reporters here.

Transport secretary G Sreenivas said issuance of the certificates through offline mode will be allowed till September 30.

Under the new legislation, the violation of PUC (pollution under control) norm invites a penalty of ₹10,000 as against the previous rate of ₹1,000 on the first violation and ₹2,000 for the second one.

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019, with provisions for stricter and heavier penalties for violations in an attempt to improve road safety, got the President’s assent on August 9 and was applicable pan India from September 1.

As the Odisha transport department collected a hefty amount of ₹88 lakh in the first four days of implementation of amended Motor Vehicle Act, Odisha urban development minister Sushant Singh alleged that the act was discriminatory.

“The Act does not discriminate between a person whose vehicle costs only ₹50,000 and a Mercedes that may cost ₹50 lakh. In my view, people should have been alerted before the implementation of the Act. With such hefty fines, poor people can no longer drive vehicles. There’s a need to reconsider the norms and relax fines,” said Singh.

(With agency inputs)