Delhi Launches Bus Lane Enforcement Drive; Violators To Be Penalised Rs 10,000 & 6-Months Imprisonment

In a bid to curb road accidents and ease traffic congestion in the national capital, the Delhi government on March 23 announced the launch of the intensive 'bus lane enforcement drive' for drivers of buses and heavy vehicles on 15 selected roads in the city. Those found violating will be penalised at Rs 10,000 and six-months imprisonment.

Phased Manner

The Delhi government announced the initiative last year, in August. The Public Works Department (PWD) created dedicated bus lanes and sensitised bus drivers to drive on those lanes only. The PWD has been directed to mark and adequately identify the corridors with long-lasting thermoplastic paints and warning signage and boards at suitable places, as per the NDTV report.

The drive will be executed in Delhi in different phases. In the first phase, the transport department and traffic police will begin the drive from April 1 from 8 am to 10 pm on 15 prioritised corridors, of the identified 46 such corridors where drives will be executed in a phased manner.

Execution

Almost 150 km roads of Delhi will be under the surveillance of the transport department's enforcement team, which will also include the traffic police, reported The Indian Express.

The buses and heavy vehicles will be allowed to ply only on segregated and marked bus lanes during the drive. Other vehicles may be permitted to drive on these dedicated lanes during the remainder (10 pm to 8 am) of the time. However, as per the official statement, the buses and heavy vehicles will strictly stick to their dedicated lanes round the clock.

Also, the statement said that the transport department had issued an advisory to its public fleet operators, Delhi Transport Corporation and Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd, to sensitise its drivers.

Fine/Imprisonment

According to the statement, the violators of the lane discipline will be penalised and prosecuted under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and Delhi Maintenance and Management of Parking Places Rules, 2019. Vehicles found driving in other lanes would be prosecuted under Section 192-A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which prescribes a fine of ₹ 10,000, and imprisonment up to six months.

Also, the statement mentioned that if any light motor vehicle such as a car is spotted parked or unattended in the identified lanes and the vehicle owner denies to clear it, the vehicle will be towed away. The driver will have to bear the towing charges in addition to the penalty.

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