Bhubaneswar: A reality check post implementation of Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act in Odisha has revealed quite surprising pictures. Even as the common man continues to grapple with the hassles to become more law-abiding, the lawmakers themselves have been found flouting the laws.
The new motor vehicle amendment act came as a shocker for the common man as hefty fines left many a pockets burnt. But surprisingly the legislators of different political parties were seen openly flouting the norms in broad daylight. Many of them were without seatbelts while entering the Assembly today. After getting caught on camera, some of them admitted their mistake and pledged to obey traffic rules going forward.
Mahesh Sahu, BJD MP from Dhenkanal Parliamentary Constituency said, “Restrictions are necessary for the smooth functioning of the democracy. We should all follow traffic rules for our own safety. I will definitely wear seatbelt henceforth.”
Suresh Routray, Congress MLA from Jatni said, “The maximum penalty for a student for not wearing helmet should be Rs 100. I regularly wear seatbelts. 1 removed it after entering the secretariat.”
Avoiding the question, Food Supplies Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain said that it is important to be abide by the norms but at the same time the hefty fines need to be slashed.
Baramba MLA Debi Prasad Mishra said, “I was once told by a former CM, when I had met with an accident in 2007, to always use seat belt while sitting on the front seat of the car”.