Bhubaneswar, Sep 4 (IANS): An auto-rickshaw driver in Bhubaneswar was, on Wednesday, fined a whopping Rs 47,500 for violating a slew of traffic rules under the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act 2019.

This is the heftiest fine levied on an auto-rickshaw driver in Odisha under the Act, which came into effect from September 1.

The commissionerate police fined driver Haribandhu Kanhar for a slew of violations including drunken driving, driving without a registration certificate, permit, pollution certificate and insurance among others.

Kanhar was driving his auto-rickshaw when he was stopped by the police at Acharya Vihar in Bhubaneswar.

The traffic police levied a penalty of Rs 47,500 which included Rs 5000 for having an invalid driving license, Rs 10000 for drunken driving, Rs 10000 for violating air/noise pollution, Rs 10000 for violating permit conditions and Rs 5,000 in other references.

He was also fined Rs 5,000 for using a vehicle without registration, Rs 2,000 for plying without insurance and general offence of Rs 500.

"Recently, I had purchased an auto-rickshaw to eke out a living. But, the police have levied a hefty fine. I can't deposit the fine as I don't have the money," said Kanhar.

In a similar case, a Delhi man was fined Rs 23,000 on Tuesday for riding a motorcycle without wearing a helmet and also for not carrying the relevant documents.