Going To Hills In Uttarakhand? Don't Talk On Phone While Driving, Cops Will Seize Your Mobile.

Those found speaking on mobile phones anywhere in Uttarakhand will now have their instruments taken away by the police for at least a day. The Nainital high court (HC) on Friday while delivering a series of directions to improve road safety in the state authorised the transport department to ¡°seize mobile phones (of offenders) temporarily for a period of 24 hours after issuing a valid receipt.¡±

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Incidentally, the HC had last month, adopting a strict stance on the use of mobile phones while driving, ordered cancellation of driving licences of the violators. Observing that drivers using cellphones were endangering their lives as well as those of others, the court had said that until the state government issues the necessary amendments, a fine of Rs 5,000 should be charged from every violator.

The single bench of Justice Rajiv Sharma on Friday gave several other directions including conducting of a road safety audit in the state within a month in order to check the condition of roads and limit accidents like the bus tragedy in Dhumakot area of Pauri Garhwal which had claimed 48 lives earlier this week. On July 4, the bench had summoned the secretary of the state transport department to explain road safety issues and provide viable solutions in tackling them.

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After the court had a long interactive session with the secretary D Senthil Pandiyan on Friday during which the issues pertaining to road safety were discussed in detail, the bench proceeded with its directions. The transport secretary was directed to establish 73 enforcement teams for each tehsil in the state ¡°over and above the existing teams to undertake the enforcement and implementation of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.¡± In order to check drunken driving, the state government was directed to provide the transport department with ¡°at least 100 breathe analyzers within a week.¡± In another important direction, the state government was instructed to construct ¡°parapets and crash barriers and erect sign boards on all the 1000 identified vulnerable and accident-prone points in the state within three months.¡±

In order to check overloading in school buses, the HC directed the transport department to ¡°deploy at least one official between 7 to 10 am and 3 to 6 pm in order to check if overloading is being done in school buses/vans.¡± ¡°It is made clear that all the school buses/vans throughout the state shall have a ¡®Right of Way¡¯¡±, the court directed.

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The court cracked down on private vehicles which had crash guards and bull bars/flashlights on them as well as those bearing emblems. ¡°All the crash guards, bull bars and flashlights are ordered to be removed within one week by the transport department. The display of designation/description of office and unauthorized emblems on government/private vehicles is banned. Writing of words like High Court, Army, Police, Journalists on private vehicles is also prohibited forthwith. This direction is to be implemented within 72 hours,¡± the judge ordered.

The HC, in its 21-point direction, also mentioned that the transport secretary has undertaken to install GPS in every public transport bus within a period of six months, and also directed him to ensure that the buses ply in the interior most areas for the convenience of local commuters. The court further instructed that buses should be washed on a day-to-day basis so that the hygiene inside is maintained and directed all the district magistrates throughout the state to provide sufficient land for parking of seized vehicles by the transport department within three months and the areas to be designated as ¡®Traffic Awareness Centres.¡¯