Get A Flower Instead Of A Penalty During Diwali: Gujarat Government Says No Fines Will Be Collected

Traffic rules were first enforced as early as 1903. It is quite obvious that traffic laws came into place to keep law and order intact, and the end result of this was smooth-flowing traffic. Over the last few decades, lots of new technologies were introduced to serve notices to those who flout traffic laws. Now, the state government has announced that none of these technologies would be used to being offenders to book during Diwali 2022.

The announcement came from the Home Minister of Gujarat Harsh Sangahavi. He did mention the reason for the withdrawal of traffic fines too. It was apparently a decision to give some relief to the public during Diwali, and this was being implemented under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

Harsh Sanghavi was quoted as saying, "From October 21 to 27, traffic police in Gujarat will not collect any fine from people. If anyone is caught without a helmet or driving licence or found violating any other traffic rule during this period, our police will give them a flower"

However, he also clarified that this will apply only to those who have unintentionally broken the law. He went on to say, Middle-class citizens go out during Diwali to do shopping with their family with whatever they have saved during the year. Many also go out on their two-wheelers with their aged parents. People many times forget to wear helmets or carry a driving license. Instead of collecting fine, we will give them a flower to make them realise their mistake,

The Home Minister was also very clear about punishing intentional offenders, calling out street racing as something that does not happen by mistake. These motorists who break the law intentionally will certainly be fined even during Diwali.

Thoughts On Gujarat State Government Not Fining Motorists During Diwali

Diwali is one of the largest Indian festivals and it certainly is the festival that is celebrated with much pomp and show. Houses, streets, and main roads are often lit up and the sound and smell of firecrackers fill the air. While each one has a unique style of celebrating Diwali, the Government of Gujarat has announced their Diwali bonus for motorists in the state.

The state recorded over 15,000 road accidents in 2021 and thousands of people lost their lives in these accidents. The only deterrent that often keeps this number from increasing is the fines imposed for breaking traffic laws. Now that these fines have been denounced for a few days, we can only hope that motorists in the state remain sane and do not go around doing whatever they want on public roads. Do stay safe this Diwali.