Kochi: The state government has rubbished the Road Transport and Safety Bill 2015 proposed by the Union Government. The minutes of the recent MPs conference convened by state government and approved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan show that the state decided to oppose majority of the proposals. According to the minutes, the proposed Bill contains 227 sections and out of it, 120 are repetition.
Amending the existing Motor Vehicle Act 1988 would achieve many of the objectives now proposed. The Bill will result in the disappearance of autos and motor cars from the state. It will also affect functioning of KSRTC, state feels. The RTI was accessed by Dhanaraj S., an activist based in Kochi. According to state, levy of Motor Vehicles Tax is a state subject under the Constitution of India. In the proposed Bill such autonomy is taken away.
The new Bill abolished the classification of permits as state and contract carriage. This will have far reaching implications. As per the existing Bill there is only National Passenger Transport Permit which is a permit granted by the National Transport Authority for use by transport vehicles for purpose of inter-state transportation of passengers. This will ultimately result in the disappearance of autorickshaws an motor cabs. The Bill will also impact the functioning of KSRTC, the state feels.
Derailment of the existing public transport system could cause hardships to commuters. Interestingly, the state decided to challenge the establishment of State Road Safety and Traffic Regulations Authority. Experts had opined that bringing the safety and traffic regulation under one umbrella is the only solution to counter the increasing number of accidents. State however feels that the current system should not be changed.
