GUWAHATI: An auto-rickshaw driver from Assam was shell-shocked when he learnt that he was fined Rs 1,000 by the traffic police for not wearing a helmet.Dinendra Kemprai, a resident of Haflong in the hill district of Dima Hasao, was charged with “riding without helmets by both driver and pillion” under section 194 D of the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act.He had no idea that an e-challan was issued against him on July 29 last year until he visited a pollution testing centre for renewal of his pollution under control (PUC) certificate on Wednesday.“I had to renew my PUC by August 15, so I went to a pollution testing centre. An attendant there said a challan of Rs 1,000 was pending against me for not wearing a helmet. He said I would have to clear it first,” Kemprai told TNIE.He visited the office of the motor vehicle inspector and later, approached the traffic police.“When I visited the traffic police office, I was told the fine is in fact Rs 2,000, and it was mentioned as Rs 1,000 by mistake. The offence against me was that I carried passengers beyond the permissible limit,” Kemprai said.He said he once thought of taking legal recourse but dropped the plan.“I am a poor man and I cannot afford to fight a legal battle. I have not yet paid the fine but I will have to,” he said. The traffic police attributed the incident to a “human error”.“An ASI (assistant sub-inspector) had levied the fine online. Instead of pressing section 179 (1) of the MV Act (disobedience of the order of authorities) on the touchscreen, he pressed section 194 D. It happened by mistake. It was a human error,” said sub-inspector Pranab Borpatro.
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