BANGALORE: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will soon be acquiring around 100 new breathalysers for all the four transport corporations in the state.
These breathalysers will be used by KSRTC officials to check alcohol level in staff, if consumed, while they are on duty in bus stands, check-posts, and also by-line staff who do random checks.
Currently KSRTC has approximately 60-70 breathalysers, which officials claim are insufficient, with the all the new depots and busses being added recently.
KSRTC currently has 72 depots and 7,599 vehicles plying in the state.
“We have increased the number of checking staff and with other increase of staff, it is time to invest on new machines,” said a senior KSRTC official.
The new machines will be less bulky from previous models and will be able to give the exact percentage of alcohol in the bloodstream.
“The old machines run on large batteries and are analog. They only have a red, green and yellow light to confirm if alcohol had been consumed and used to beep. The new machines will have digital screens which will display information about percentage of alcohol in the blood and other information,” an official added.
The requirements given by KSRTC for their own use is around 100 devices and the budget stated is approximately 15 lakh.
High-end alcometers with printer capabilities cost around `20,000 but KSRTC is looking to procure machines in the a lesser range of `4,000-`5,000, according to sources. The project is currently in the initial stages.