KEONJHAR: For Regional Transport Office and Keonjhar police, unruly iron ore and other mineral-laden trucks probably do not come under the ambit of the amended Motor Vehicles Act. Or so it seems if one goes by the leniency shown towards heavy vehicles by traffic enforcement agencies in Keonjhar since the new norms came into force on September 1.
On a daily basis, around 3,000 to 4,000 trucks ply on National Highways 49 and 20 passing through the district, a mining hub of the State. These include 12 to 16-wheelers which carry iron ore from Joda to different factory points and ports. However, these overloaded vehicles get away without troubling the enforcement squads.
Last year, as many as 11,262 accident cases were registered in Keonjhar district, up from 10,855 in 2017. From January 1 to March 31 this year, 3,058 accidents have been reported. On average, one person is killed and three sustain injuries in road mishaps every day and the main cause of this accident is rash driving by truck drivers.
Sources in Keonjhar police said, 938 vehicles including two-wheelers, auto-rickshaws, cars, buses and trucks have been apprehended for various traffic violations and a fine of `6.58 lakh collected since September 1. However, the district police have no record of the number of heavy vehicles, especially trucks, penalised for traffic violations since the new MV rules came into force.
President of Keonjhar Progressive Citizen Forum Dhirendra Rout said since mining operations will close before April 1 and open auction of mines will be conducted after March, mining exploration and transportation of minerals are moving at a frenetic pace, leading to a spurt in the number of mineral-laden trucks plying in the district. However, instead of checking violations by these heavy goods carriers, agencies are busy cracking the whip on lighter ones like cars.
The NHs and roads have become so unsafe and congested that accidents are a regular affair and one has to spend two-three hours to travel a distance of only one km. Ambulances and schools buses are the most affected due to the rush, said Rout. Regional Transport Officer Nirmal Chandra Mohanty said the Traffic Inspector, Motor Vehicle Inspector and Assistant RTO at Barbil along with enforcement teams have been deployed to check traffic violations and penalise offenders. However, the RTO office has no record about cases registered for rash driving, he added.
“The job of enforcement agencies is limited to checking seat belts of car drivers. Most of the truck drivers do not wear seat belts while many lacks driving licence. There are many instances when teenagers have been found driving 16-wheel trucks but the police have closed their eyes to such blatant traffic violations,” claimed Rout.
Besides, long-haul drivers are often found behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol and overload their vehicles. However, they go scot-free. Enforcement of new traffic rules is only directed towards two-wheelers and light vehicles and is not targeted to nab errant truck drivers, alleged former students’ union president of Dharanidhar College Dilip Kumar Sahoo. Lives of innocent people are lost due to rash driving by truck drivers but the RTO office remains a mute spectator, he alleged.