Consumer Legal Protection Forum with support from Consumer VOICE, New Delhi organized a stakeholder workshop at hotel Aarian Atithya, Guwahati-Assam on 6 September 2019. The main objective of the workshop was to strengthen the road safety aspects of MVA 2019.Recently the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act 2019 has been passed with the approval of the President of India. This amendment aims to make Indian roads safer, reduce corruption and use technology to overhaul the country’s transportation system. The next step is to frame the Motor Vehicle Rules by Central and State governments to implement the amended law for improving road safety.

The consultation was inaugurated by Shri Ashim Sanyal, Chief Operating Officer Consumer VOICE with an introductory message on road safety. He highlighted the salient features of New Motor Vehicles Act 2019 and various comparable amendments related to road safety.

He said “The amendment Act will help to reduce road fatalities and injuries with the stringent penalties / other provisions and change the road habits of citizens who are breaking the rules. We urge the Assam government to include the new rules of MVA 2019 in the Assam Motor vehicle rules.”

The workshop was attended by various stakeholders including Shri Prasanta Saikia, DCP (Traffic), Commissioner  of Police-Guwahati, Shri Gautam Das, District Transport Officer- Kamrup (R), Shri Joysing Rongphar, MVI, Kamrup and Bikram Gogoi, Enforcement Inspector . All distinguished guests expressed their views on the present road safety scenario  in the state and welcomed the new act.

Shri Gautam Das District Transport Officer- Kamrup welcomed the new rules and said,  “Our state is following the Central government MVA 1988 and also have Assam Motor Vehicles Rules 2003 which also includes the main risk factors of road safety. We will follow and include the new amended rules by MVA 2019 to make stringent enforcements”.

“In the last six months in Assam around 2,359 accidents occurred in which 1,980 people were injured and 928 lost their life. It’s time to take the new rules amended in Motor Vehicles Act 2019 to make police and transport departments enforcement drives more effective to prevent casualties adds District Transport Officer Das. His juniors also presented their positive viewpoints.

The consultation mainly focused on the six vital pillars of road safety (Speed, Helmet, Drunk-Driving, Mobile using while driving, Child Restraints,) which are seen as the best global practice to reduce road casualties. ”Ms. Rinki Sharma –Head Projects, Consumer VOICE presents details about six pillars of road safety and new provisions in amended laws etc.

Shri Ajoy Hazarika, Secretary, Consumer Legal Protection Forum also presented his views on adoption of the new Motor Vehicles  Act to improve road safety measures in the state.

The programme was attended by around 40 people from  transport department, traffic police department, civil societies, students and lawyers communities .

Later there was a meeting held with a Transport Commissioner- Shri Virender  Mittal Transport Secretary, Shri Razvee Hussain  Transport Joint Secretary Shri S. Ahmed  where Shri  Ashim Sanyal and Ms.Rinki Sharma handed over a memorandum mentioning to adopt  the new rules in the state Motor Vehicles Act.

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