Shimla, Apr 1 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday passed the Shimla Road Users and Pedestrians (Public Safety and Convenience) Amendment Bill, paving the way for heavy penalties on violators.
The amended Bill, introduced by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and passed in the absence of opposition members, entails provisions to levy heavy penalties on those plying vehicles on sealed and restricted roads in Shimla town without a valid permit.
The Bill has hiked the penalty for violating restrictions on sealed roads to Rs 15,000 from the existing fine of Rs 3,000, reflecting a five times hike. Earlier, the penalty proposed was Rs 10,000.
The penalty for plying vehicles on restricted roads without a permit has been increased to Rs 5,000 from the existing Rs 1,000.
Similarly, violation of the terms and conditions of permits would attract a fine of Rs 2,000.
The annual fee for permits for sealed roads will increase from Rs 2,500 to Rs 10,000, while the fee for daily permits will be hiked to Rs 1,000 from Rs 200 currently.
Further, the power to issue passes for restricted roads would now vest with the Home Secretary instead of the deputy commissioner. The processing fee for permits will increase from Rs 100 to Rs 500.
However, authorised police personnel will have the power to reduce the penalty by 50 per cent if the fine is paid on the spot.
Besides the Mall Road, roads from Navbahar to Ridge, Chotta Shimla to the Mall and Ridge, Indira Gandhi Medical College to Ridge, Accountant General office to CTO Chowk and the road from Boulieganj via the Advance Study Centre to Vidhan Sabha are among the sealed and restricted roads in Shimla town. PTI BPL RUK RUK
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