NEW DELHI (DPA) - Commuters in New Delhi faced transport chaos on Thursday (Sept 19) as most of the city's cabs, rickshaws and private buses went on strike to protest against a steep hike in fines for traffic violations.

Amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act made by India's federal government came into force on Sept 1, introducing substantially higher fines in a bid to curb widespread traffic violations.

India has the highest number of traffic fatalities in the world, with nearly 149,000 people dying in road accidents in 2018, according to government data.

Many schools in New Delhi and its suburbs were closed and commuters faced difficulties getting transport. Large numbers of rickshaws, taxis, ride-hailing services, school vans and private buses were off the roads. The services of the Metro and government-run buses remained unaffected.

Broadcaster NDTV showed images of large groups of protesting workers stopping cabs and rickshaws in Delhi.

"Our main demand is that the exorbitant penalties under the amended Motor Vehicles Act should be reviewed," United Front of Transport Associations general secretary Shyamlal Gola told reporters, adding that more than 50 unions had joined the strike.

The new laws mean hefty fines for traffic violations such as not wearing a seat belt, jumping red lights and drunk driving.

However, many Indian states have resisted and refused to enforce the higher fines, which has led to demands to withdraw them from other states.

Transport experts say the government should maintain the higher fines to bring order to India's dangerous roads.