MoI blames PART for its losses

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 26: The Ministry of Interior now bears the consequences of the mistake committed by its public works counterpart and the Public Authority for Roads and Transportation (PART) three years ago -- the improper implementation of road projects, reports Al-Rai daily quoting sources from the security sector.

Since November 2018, the Traffic Sector has stopped recording violations related to the breakage of windows of vehicles as per the official directive after the crisis of flying gravel on streets and roads due to the rain; especially in light of public criticism at the time and failure to penalize drivers for traffic violations they were found to be not guilty of, sources explained.

Sources pointed out that in the past, the fine for front window breakage was KD30 and the number of such violations recorded reached 500,000 per year. Sources said the fines collected then was estimated at about 15 million annually, which means the State treasury lost about KD45 million during the three-year period of improper implementation of road projects.

Sources disclosed that “after the repair works on many roads across the country and in view of the reluctance of many motorists to repair the windows of their cars, it is necessary to impose fine on this violation, especially since the failure to maintain the vehicle comes with risks for both the drivers and other road users.”

Sources added “the major maintenance works on roads and streets when curfew was imposed due to the Corona crisis will soon show results, especially now that the rainy season is fast approaching. These works were aimed at preventing the recurrence of the flying gravel crisis.”