Shimla, April 1 The Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed the Shimla Road Users and Pedestrians (Public Safety and Convenience) Amendment Bill on Wednesday, paving the way for hefty penalties for violators.
The amended bill, introduced by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and passed in the absence of opposition members, includes provisions to levy hefty penalties on those operating vehicles on sealed and restricted roads in Shimla town without a valid permit.
The bill has increased the penalty for violating restrictions on sealed roads from the existing fine of Rs 3,000 to Rs 15,000, representing a five-fold increase. Previously, the proposed penalty was Rs 10,000.
The penalty for operating vehicles on restricted roads without a permit has been increased from the existing Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000.
Similarly, violation of the terms and conditions of permits will attract a fine of Rs 2,000.
The annual fee for permits on sealed roads will increase from Rs 2,500 to Rs 10,000, while the fee for daily permits will be hiked from Rs 200 to Rs 1,000.
Furthermore, the power to issue passes for restricted roads will now rest with the Home Secretary instead of the Deputy Commissioner. The processing fee for permits will increase from Rs 100 to Rs 500.
However, authorized police personnel will have the power to reduce the penalty by 50 percent if the fine is paid on the spot.
In addition to Mall Road, the roads from Navbahar to Ridge, Chotta Shimla to Mall and Ridge, Indira Gandhi Medical College to Ridge, Accountant General office to CTO Chowk, and the road from Boulieganj via the Advance Study Centre to Vidhan Sabha are among the sealed and restricted roads in Shimla town.