Move to stop errant drivers getting licence

Monday, Feb 07, 2011




In what can have wider ramifications for the Motor Vehicles Act, a trial court has summoned five senior government officials to discuss the possibility of evolving a system that can stop erring drivers from securing alternative driving licences from various parts of the country following the cancellation of their original licence.

Motor Accident Claim Tribunal judge Swarna Kanta Sharma sought the personal appearance of the Secretaries of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Delhi government's transport department. Besides them, the court also sought the presence of two DCPs, including traffic. The court asked the officers to explore the possibility of working together with the traffic police department to evolve a mechanism to stop errant drivers from securing multiple licences from various parts of the country after cancellation of their original ones.

Seeking the involvement of UIDAI, the court said, "I believe that if a system is evolved which will have unique identity processing system to have coordination between other states and the state of Delhi, it will help in curbing this menace of drivers using fake driving licences or one person possessing many driving licences." The judge also directed that the copies of her order be sent to various officials and the UIDAI Secretary "for the next date of hearing for filing of their responses and compliance."

The issuance of summons to five senior officials came after the court felt that there were many MACT cases where the menace of errant drivers securing alternative licences has "surfaced and re-surfaced again and again". The court was hearing a case involving a man who continued to drive a Blueline bus even after cancellation of his licence following an accident in 2005. The driver, whose licence was cancelled following an accident, continued to drive the vehicle as the official records of the traffic police showed that his licence was valid.

The defect was detected when the driver was involved in another accident in 2006, which led to the filing of a case by the family of the deceased seeking compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act. The court issued directions to officials against seeking exemptions from personal appearance as the Transport Commissioner and the DCP, Traffic Police, who were asked by the court to appear before it earlier, had sought exemption from personal appearance on some grounds.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Move-to-stop-errant-drivers-getting-licence/articleshow/7447768.cms