Noida transport department suspends 80 driver licences in May

Noida: The Noida transport department suspended 80 driving licences last month and has received recommendations to suspend over 120 licences for a minimum of three months, said officials.
While eight of these have been suspended for drunk driving, 72 have been suspended for other offences including speeding, jumping red lights, carrying overload in goods carriages and people in goods carriages, using mobile phone while driving and driving on the wrong lane.
Rajesh Singh, ARTO (enforcement), said the department has been receiving recommendations to suspend the licences from many states. "After receiving a recommendation for licence suspension, we issue a notice to the person concerned asking him to appear in person," he said.
Most offenders don't turn up since there is proof attached with the recommendation from police but some do come to officials to defend their action, he said. "We do consider genuine requests, but since most cases are of wilful indulgence, we order immediate suspension," he said.
While the provision for suspension of the licences was always there in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, strict implementation began only after the Supreme Court's committee on road safety directed states/UTs to suspend the licences of those charged with driving under influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs, red-light jumping, carrying overload in goods carriages and persons in goods carriages and using mobile phone while driving for a period of not less three months.
Formed by the apex court on the basis of a PIL in April 2014, the committee aims at measuring and monitoring the implementation of road safety laws in the country.
When asked which agency is sending maximum number of licences, Singh confirmed that most of them have been received from Delhi police. However, he did not elaborate on the number of recommendations from Noida traffic police.