With an aim to reduce the number of road accidents, the West Bengal government has decided to increase traffic violation fines as per the Motor Vehicles Act, a notification has said.
The Centre had increased the fines in 2019, but the West Bengal government had not imposed them so far considering the "difficulties faced by the common man".
A person driving a car without a licence will have to shell out Rs 5,000, up from the previous fine of Rs 500. Similarly, one driving recklessly with have to pay a fine of up to Rs 4,000, which was Rs 400 earlier, the notification issued by the state Transport Department on Tuesday said.
One has to pay an amount between ₹500 and ₹1,000 for violating driving rules on the road, while ₹2,000 will be slapped for lapsed car insurance, and ₹ 5,000 for racing on the road.
A fine of ₹ 10,000 will be slapped if any vehicle plies sans road permit, and Rs 5,000 if it's not registered. A biker will have to pay ₹1,000 for riding without a helmet.
One will be fined between ₹ 2,000 and ₹ 4,000 for honking in a silent zone, it said. According to the notification, fines have been increased for a total of 26 traffic violations.
"The new guideline will come into effect soon. Traffic police personnel and motor vehicle inspectors can collect the fines. The hike will on one hand increase revenue of the government, and on the other, lead people to follow rules," he said.
