Bhubaneswar: Officials of the Regional Transport Offices (RTO) throughout Odisha have suspended the driving licenses of 16,820 persons found flouting various traffic rules between January and February, 2021. The State Transport Authority (STA) revealed Saturday on its official Twitter handle. As per the STA, the driving licenses have been suspended for a period of three months for violations of various rules like drunk driving, over speeding, jumping of red lights and rash driving.
“DLs are suspended for a period of three months as per directions of Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety for violations like over speeding, drunk driving, red light jumping, using mobile phones while driving, overloading, carrying passengers in goods vehicle and for two wheelers where the driver or the pillion rider is not wearing helmet. The DL is suspended even in the first instance of violation of these rules,” informed the STA.
The RTOs suspended the licenses of 11,613 persons for not wearing helmets, the maximum number of disciplined people in a particular category. Similarly, 1,922 driving licenses have been cancelled for over speeding. Over speeding has been the major cause for fatal road accidents in Odisha. Licenses of 1,322 persons have been suspended for using mobile phones while driving.
The tweet also informed that 282 DLs have been suspended for jumping red lights, 387 for overloading, 313 for carrying passengers in goods vehicle and 316 for drunk and driving during the last two months.
RTO-I in the state capital has suspended 3,016 DLs while in Cuttack the figure stands at 3,003. The RTO in Rourkela suspended 1,483 DLs in January and February. RTOs across Odisha have suspended 7,960 DLs in January and 8,860 in February respectively.
The STA also warned that traffic rule violators will face strict disciplinary measures in the days to come.
PNN