Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday justified the steep hike in fines for breaking traffic rules by stating that it was needed to improve the situation on the roads.
"Is money more important than life? It is fear which will make people follow the law, else they were taking it lightly. Close to 30 per cent driving licences in the country are fake, people were dying, that is why strict laws were made," Gadkari said at an event here.
He was attending a programme on the completion of 100 years of the Dakshinamurti Swayamsevak Ganeshotsav mandal.
Justifying the move, Gadkari added, "With the change in the law there is a crowd in front of the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) across the country, people are getting their vehicles insured and are buying helmets. All of these will help in reducing the number of accidents."
He also said that the aim of change in laws was to protect the lives of people.
"The only goal behind this move is to protect the lives of the people, fine collection is not the intention," Gadkari said.
The new Motor Vehicles Act has enhanced the penalties for driving errors. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had notified the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act 2019 last month and it was implemented in many states of India from September 1.
( With inputs from ANI )