- At the outset, let’s not assume for even a fraction of a second that the Indian roads are at par with international standards or it’s safe and secure to travel/commute for a considerable period without getting worried about getting hurt/injured. The sheer lack of civic sense and sensitivity while using the roads bogs the countrymen big time despite the efforts undertaken by the municipal authorities. Of course, the conditions of the commutable roads are at best unsatisfactory here. When it rains during the monsoon season, the pothole-filled craters become ubiquitous showcasing the ugly side of basic amenities on offer. The less said the better about the public transport system in the country catering to a meagre percentage of people.
PC: India Today
- Added to this despicable condition encountered by ordinary citizens, the sense of entitlement pervading the high and powerful poorly reflects how the law of the land tends to be unequal while executing the same on the ground. Of late, the country has witnessed a slew of road deaths involving some of the powerful personalities. Needless to mention, only strict implementation of the law, including for VIPs, can bring down deaths on the road. People must have noticed with disappointment how the recent Nagpur drunk driving case, involving the son of Maharashtra BJP chief appears to be following a familiar pattern. CCTV recording from the restro-bar that the son and his friends visited before they went on their rash driving spree reveals suppression so much.
- Unbelievably but not surprisingly, hitting several vehicles and leaving two people injured does not have their footage. Was the footage deleted to shield the VIP son? We don’t know yet. Moreover, the local police have repeatedly said the son wasn’t driving the car – even though the car belonged to him – and that it was his friend who was behind the wheel. They didn’t even collect the son’s blood-alcohol sample. Indeed, all of this again smells of the system trying to protect a VIP progeny. The country has repeatedly seen this pattern over the past few months. Be it the Pune Porsche case in May or the Mumbai BMW hit-and-run a few weeks later, initial outrage is followed by law enforcement dragging its feet to arrest the VIP accused and throw the book at them.
PC: Free Press Journal
- The sense of entitlement is apparent when it comes to rules of the road as VIPs feel they don’t apply to them. This, despite the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, and BNS’s Section 106 raised fines and punishment for drunk driving and acts of negligence leading to death. It’s not enough though. The punitive punishment for the perpetrators should be in place to not only act as a deterrence to drunken driving incidents but also dissuade the potential perpetrators by setting a strong precedent. Jail term, banning driving licence, and imposing a hefty fine. Or maybe all of it. Yes, making penalties stiffer won’t work if laws aren’t implemented judiciously. Remember, drunk driving turns cars into weapons. The laws must be strictly enforced, even for VIPs.
