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RTO acts against 13 vehicles on Sinhagad Fort stretch
Sanjeev Bhor, Pune regional transport officer, said that action has been taken under sections 66 and 192A of the Motor Vehicles Act
With frequent accidents taking place near Sinhagad Fort, the Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) has initiated a drive to inspect vehicles in the area since this week. According to officials, action has been taken against 13 vehicles so far for non-compliance with rules, mostly related to permits for commercial operation.
Officials fined owners of private vehicles that are not supposed to carry passengers for commercial purposes.
Sanjeev Bhor, Pune regional transport officer, said that action has been taken under sections 66 and 192A of the Motor Vehicles Act.
Under section 66 of MVA, no owner of a motor vehicle shall use the vehicle as a transport vehicle in any public place. Section 192A suggests a fine, punishment, or both to any person who drives the motor vehicle or causes or allows a motor vehicle to be used in contravention of the provisions of obtaining a permit under Section 66.
While routine checks have been conducted, the campaign has increased checks in and around the historic Fort region, according to Bhor.
“We are not responsible for traffic control; that is the responsibility of the traffic police. The cops are doing their jobs, and we are doing ours,” Bhor continued.
In the past few days, two separate cases were reported, where a jeep carrying tourists overturned near the turn of a slope and another carrying students suffered from brake failure near the parking lot.
Anant Bhosle, assistant RTO officer, said that there is a separate squad to take action against vehicles that are not suited to ply on city roads.
“Our RTO officials work with state transport officials, which in turn helps state transport buses get more revenue. We have a separate RTO officer for that squad. Yesterday we seized 5 vehicles,” he added.
The Squad runs mostly on highways, keeping an eye on road safety as well as the well-being of passengers, making sure vehicles are not getting way too many passengers on board and risking people’s lives. So far, 113 vehicles have been detected by the State transport squad in December, and a fine of ₹ 2.35 lakh has been collected.
