RS panel fails to submit report on MVA Bill

GUWAHATI, Dec 17: The select committee constituted by the Rajya Sabha to look into and resolve issues raised by the Opposition in the monsoon session of Parliament has missed the deadline set for it by the House to submit its report recommending changes to the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill 2017. The Committee, chaired by Dr. Viy Sahasrabuddhe (BJP), was instructed to table its report by the first day of the winter session, without extension of time. The committee, consisting of 24 members from various political parties across the country, met several times in the last few months and conducted stakeholder consultations, but failed to arrive at a consensus on some of the contentious issues raised primarily by the Opposition-ruled States.

In a joint letter to the Rajya Sabha Chairperson, Venkaiah idu, the tiol coalition of road safety organizations has expressed disappointment with the delay in the submission of the report by the Select Committee, despite the delay in the winter session, and called upon all parties to reach a consensus quickly in the interest of the tion.

Delay in the submission of the report will likely delay the passage of the Bill in the Upper House. The Bill, introduced in August 2016, was passed by the Lower House in April 2017, but failed to get approval of the Rajya Sabha, where it was referred to the Select Committee. Annually more than 1.5 lakh people die in road accidents and more than 5 lakh are severely injured.