Drivers in Madhya Pradesh are about to discover whether they can be denied fuel without valid vehicle insurance. The state is set to launch a pilot project that could prevent vehicles without valid insurance from being refueled at petrol pumps. This initiative is part of the government's efforts to enhance road safety enforcement through technology and expand its Zero-Fatality District program to nine districts.
Pilot Project Details
The decision to implement this pilot for uninsured vehicles was made during a meeting chaired by Abhay Manohar Sapre, a retired Supreme Court judge and chairman of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety, at the Chief Secretary’s Office on Monday. The district with the highest number of uninsured vehicles will be selected for this pilot.
Under the proposed system, cameras will be installed at petrol pumps and linked to the VAHAN portal to identify vehicles lacking valid insurance, thereby preventing them from receiving fuel. Justice Sapre directed the state government to initiate this pilot as soon as possible, following discussions with officials from the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and technical experts.
Expansion of Zero-Fatality District Program
Once the pilot is tested, it is expected to be expanded to other districts in phases. This move is significant as it aims to enforce insurance requirements beyond traditional traffic checks, making insurance a prerequisite for accessing fuel.
The Supreme Court had previously suggested integrating automatic number-plate recognition cameras with the VAHAN and insurance databases to electronically identify uninsured vehicles.
