Truck driver in Odisha fined Rs 86,500; becomes biggest violator under new Motor Vehicles Act in the country

A truck driver in Odisha’s Sambalpur district, who was issued a challan of Rs 86,500 by the Regional Transport Office (RTO), has become the biggest violator under the amended Motor Vehicles Act in the country so far. [caption id=“attachment_5170401” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image of truck driver. Reuters[/caption] The truck driver identified as Ashok Jadav was fined on 3 September, but the picture of the challan reportedly started to trend on the internet on Saturday evening. The truck belonging to a Nagaland-based company BLA Infrastructure Private Limited was loaded with a JCB machine. The officials in Sambalpur intercepted the truck when it was on its way to Chhattisgarh from Talcher town of Angul district. According to Sambalpur’s regional transport officer Lalit Mohan Behera, the offender was fined a total of Rs 86,500 inclusive of Rs 500 for general offence, Rs 5,000 for allowing unauthorised persons to drive, Rs 5,000 for driving without a licence, Rs 56,000 for overloading and Rs 20,000 for carrying over-dimension projections load, reported News18. However, after the negotiation that lasted over five hours, the driver paid Rs 70,000 as fine, reports Hindustan Times. The publication also reported that Odisha which is among the few states that started implementing the amended MV act from 1 September when it came into force, has grossed the highest penalty in the country. Under the amended MV Act, the state has collected over Rs 88 lakh in fine within the first four days its implementation.