Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday asked his ministry officials to revise the maximum speed limits for vehicles and to increase them by 20kmph for different categories of roads. He also directed that officials to put in place a mechansim for uniformity of speed limits on certain stretches rather than effect frequent changes in notified speed limits even on short stretches. Currently, the maximum speed limit notified by the raod transport ministry is 100kmph on national highways for caras and 120kmph on expressways. But the state police and other agencies have the authority to fix the speed limit on highways and expresseays falling under their jurisdiction. This has been the main reason why speed limits on certain portions of NHs differ from state to state. Moreover, different speed limits on a stretch of road particularly in cities, have been a major problem for commuters. What has compounded the problem are inadequate number of signs displaying allowed speed limits. Sources daid Gadkari issued the directions to the ministry officials while chairing a review meeting. Last year Gadkari had flagged how local police were penalising commuters driving at more than 40kmph on multi-lane highways within city limits and called this 'unfortunate. However, considering that spending is the leading cause of road crashes and fatalities, road safety experts have maintained that the speed limits on roads must be well defined and notified. The Madras high court has imposed a fine of Rs. 1 lakh on actor Vijay for challenging a levy of entry tax on his imported Rolls Royce Ghost Car, saying such a reputed actor is "expected to pay tax promotly and punctually" and actors who are seen by their fans as real heroes can't be just reel heroes. Dismissing the petition related to the import of the car from England in 2012, Justice S M Subramaniam said, "In a state like Tamil Nadu, where such actors have become rulers, they are not expected to behave like a 'reel hero'.
