Hyderabad: Drivers of transport and goods vehicles will not have a free run on the city’s roads. Although there is a ban on the entry of heavy vehicles in the city from 7 am to 10 am, many goods vehicles enter the city by paying a fine for breaking the ‘no entry’ rule
These heavy vehicles add to congestion on the roads. Every time they are stopped by the police, the drivers show the fine paid receipt as proof of having paid the fine, ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 1,000. Police is not sure if a driver can be fined more than once for an offence. “We have decided that paying fine once for violation of no entry norms does not mean the heavy vehicle can move in the city thereafter. It can be fined multiple times and the vehicle will be seized,” deputy commissioner of police (traffic), A.V. Ranganath said.
Experts said over loaded trucks should not be allowed into the city after payment of fine unless the load is reduced. “If there is an over-load which is projecting beyond the chassis, cops should not allow it to move after levying the fine. Cops should ensure that the excess load is removed on the spot,” said former DG of Engineering Staff College of India, Dr S Nagabhushan Rao.
Joint transport commissioner T. Raghunath said Section 199/177 of the MV Act, stated that a penalty of Rs 200 can be levied for violation of no entry timings. The section is silent on multiple penalties for the same offence. It is clear that the vehicle should not be allowed during no-entry hours even after being made to pay a fine, he added.
