IMPHAL, Sept 17 - Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has stressed the need of strict scrutiny of identities before issuing driving licences to applicants. He also asked the department concerned to check import of �cheap pre-owned� vehicles into the State.
Biren Singh was speaking at a road safety awareness programme on the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, at the ISBT complex at Dewlahland here today.
The Chief Minister, who also holds the Transport portfolio and heads rge State Level Road Safety Council, asked officials of the State Transport Department to exercise maximum caution while issuing driving licences as these are important identity documents. �The officials should strictly scrutinise the identities of applicants before issuing driving licences because these may be used as legal documents by illegal migrants to even claim themselves as natives of the State,� he cautioned.
Biren Singh warned that officials found indulging in irregularities in issuing driving licences would not be spared. The Chief Minister further said that many fake licences were detected during a mass drive conducted last year.
The Chief Minister said that the Motor Vehicles Act has been amended to contain the rising number of fatal road accidents. �During the period from January to June this year, 346 road accidents occurred in the State, claiming 77 lives and injuring 556 persons. In comparison with the accident data of 2018 during the same period, this year has witnessed an increase of 23.13 per cent in the number of accidents. There was also a rise of 14.92 per cent in the number of deaths and 15.11 per cent in the number of injuries,� he added.
Stating that the drives against traffic rule violators would be intensified soon, Biren Singh urged the people to cooperate with the Traffic Police and Transport Department officials in this regard as the Government was committed to the safety of common people. On the other hand, the Chief Minister also asked the police and Transport Department officials to behave well with the public while conducting the traffic drives.
