Vikramaditya
Port Blair, Feb 19: As per Section 4(1) of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 the minimum age limit for getting driving license for Motorcycle with Engine Capacity not exceeding 50cc is Sixteen years.
Since, by the lapse of time the said motorcycle with Engine capacity 50cc is not in existence in these Isles or elsewhere. But, interestingly the license being issued by STA to a person at the age of sixteen years has no mention about the limitation on Engine Capacity i.e. 50cc.
Therefore, taking undue advantage of this glaring loophole in the licensing system of the STA the teenagers (below eighteen years) of these Isles very feasibly get the Driving license for their motorcycle (without gear) with Engine capacity more than 100cc.
As per the action taken report of Transport Department in respect to LG Grievance ID 3018 dated 07.11.2013 states that “Transport Department is issuing driving license through Sarathi Software developed by National Information Centre. This Software does not specify the class of vehicle as Motorcycle without Gear upto50cc. The software is approved by Ministry of Road Transport and Highway and is being used in almost all regional Transport Offices of Central and State Government.”
Consequently, these teenagers in most occasions indulge in violation and breach of the statutory traffic rules and road safety norms by jumping signals, over-speeding, rash, and negligent driving, performing stunts, using cell phones while driving etc, thus making the road unsafe for other motorist and road users. At this juncture, it is imperative on the part of the concerned authority of STA to temporally suspend issuing of license to teenagers with age less than eighteen years until the section 4(1) of MV Act, 1988 is deleted or repealed through suitable enactment. So, that the lives of the teenagers could be safeguarded and protected from their own reckless acts.
Meanwhile talking to Andaman Sheekha Mr. Arun Gupta, the Deputy Director Transport today said that the Department can only give license which is valid for Moped without gear. This is mentioned in the license as well and if the police thinks that teenagers are driving Moped with excess engine power then police should impose challan.
When Contacted the Deputy Superintendent of traffic, Mr M. Umar said that the Traffic Police is already imposing challan on teenagers driving Moped with high engine power. “I request parents to give only mopeds of about 50 CC to their teenage children and not those Mopeds which are of 100 and 120 cc and more.
Meanwhile by today evening the Police Department issued an advisory for all parents to not to allow their wards below 18 years of age to ride/ drive such vehicles.
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