Gujarat govt's pre-election Diwali gift: No fines on traffic violations for 7 days

Diwali festivities across India will kickstart with much fanfare after two year hiatus due to the pandemic. Gujarat state government has decided to present its residents with a unique gift this festive season.

For a week starting from October 21, no fine will be levied on traffic rule violations in the state, announced Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghvi.

Terming Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel's decision and "people-pro" he advised people to not take undue advantage of the same and break laws.

Interestingly, the decision to pardon fines on traffic violations for a week comes before the Gujarat state assembly polls.

"Diwali is the biggest festival of lights in Indian culture. This festival comes with the colors of rangolis, abundance of sweets and the excitement of lamps and crackers. On the occasion of this festival, one more public decision of Bhupendra Patel Ji, Chief Minister of Mridu and Makkam Gujarat Government," he tweeted sharing a video of the announcement in Gujarati.

"It has been decided not to collect any kind of traffic fine from the public till the next date, October 27. The decision has been taken in the public interest and not used to break the law. If someone breaks the rules, the Gujarat police will persuade them not to break the rules by giving flowers," he further wrote.

The Gujarat government's decision though was met with mixed reactions from public. While many hailed the "people-friendly" decision and dubbed the Bhupendra Patel-led state government "people-friedly", many casted aspersions and said it would only worsen the traffic woes. A user even said that the decision would "benefit only criminals" and mount trouble for citizens.