Penalty Becomes Heftier: Driving Licence To Be Suspended For Traffic Violations

Bhubaneswar: Beware traffic violators! You may lose your driving licence if you are caught driving vehicles under the influence of alcohol or using mobile phones.

In a major development, the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety has directed all State governments to suspend driving license of defaulters on several grounds like violating specified speed limit, red light jumping, carrying over load in good carriages and carrying passengers in good carriages, drunken driving and using mobile phones while driving.

Following the directive, Odisha Transport Commissioner has asked the regional transport officers (RTOs) to enforce the aforementioned guidelines.

The Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety is reviewing the DL suspension activity of the State on quarterly basis and has directed 100% suspension of the DLs against the cases detected which are liable for suspension.

In this regard, time to time directions has been issued from State Transport department for 100% suspension of the DLs in the SARATHI database against the cases detected.

While reviewing the data of September, 2019, it was found that 334 e-challans have been issued for Drunken driving cases by the RTOs and as per the information received from the Crime branch, 496 DLs have been forwarded by different police districts to the concerned RTOs for suspension of DLs for such cases. But as per the SARATHI database, only 126 DLs have been suspended in September, 2019, the letter of Transport Commissioner mentioned.

Transport Commissioner noticed that in some of the regions, e-challan had been issued for the Drunken driving case and police have also forwarded DLs for suspension, but DL suspended is SARATHI database for drunken driving cases in nil or negligible.

Based on order of Road Safety Committee, the Commissioner directed RTOs to take steps for 100% suspension of the DLs against drunken driving cases while asking them to furnish the reasons for not suspending the DLs forwarded by the Police for suspension.

In the last road safety meeting, we decided to bring down accident cases by 20%. Whatever steps are needed will be taken to reduce road mishaps in State: #Odisha transport minister Padmanabha Behera on Supreme Court Committee directive to suspend licence of traffic rule violators pic.twitter.com/Its44pDeh8

— OTV (@otvnews) January 2, 2020