The second or subsequent offence of permit violation by public transport vehicles on Delhi roads may lead to imprisonment of violators soon.   Traffic police, in a bid to curb the menace of repeat offences by vehicles, have decided to exercise Section 192 (A) of the Motor Vehicle Act. The move comes in the wake of the December 16 gang rape in a moving bus, which had been impounded for permit violations six times during 2011-12. The penalty would range between Rs. 2000 to Rs. 5000 for the first offence. The second or subsequent offence is likely to attract imprisonment for a minimum of three years and fine between Rs. 5000 to Rs. 10,000.

The order for implementing these changed guidelines were issued two days ago. The Delhi traffic police -- vehemently criticised by the court for the December 16 incident -- have also asked all DCPs to write to the state transport authority (STA) after detecting any public transport vehicle plying without valid permits and which has been penalised by the court at least once before. This way, subsequent offences can be registered, said a traffic police officer. "Only when the strictest of punishment is meted out will these rules act as a deterrant," said Sudhir Yadav, special commissioner of police (traffic).

The traffic police are preparing an exhaustive list of public transport vehicles including buses, which were prosecuted for permit violations during 2012.

They will soon send this list to the transport department, asking for the cancellation or suspension of registration certificate of owners/drivers as applicable under MV Act. 

Meanwhile, the transport department also through a public notice has informed that permit rules of the public transport vehicles (PSVs) would be stringent with effect from March 1 (see box).

"These rules were not included in permit conditions earlier. Following the gang rape, we have made the permit rules stringent," a transport department official said.