THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Transport Minister Antony Raju on Thursday lashed out against private bus operators for announcing a strike on October 31 without informing him.
“The government will not bow down to such pressure tactics. The seat belt mandate is not a new law imposed by the state. It has been part of the Centre’s law since 1994. We directed bus operators to install seat belts and ask the drivers to use them after we started the AI camera surveillance throughout the state. We deferred the plan twice before deciding to make it mandatory from November 1,” he said.
The minister said that the decision to install cameras inside the buses was put forward by the owners themselves to prevent passengers from accusing the employees of false cases. “By installing cameras, bus employees can defend themselves from false allegations. Besides, it will be of great help in identifying the reasons behind road accidents. The cameras installed in KSRTC Swift buses have proven to be useful in this regard,” said Raju.
Even when the government is going ahead with its decision to make seat belts mandatory in the front seats of passenger and freight buses from November 1, a majority of vehicles are yet to install seat belts in them. “Seat belts became an integral part of buses since the bus body code came into existence in October 2017. Most of the stage carriages are old and their operators are yet to install seat belts in them. The compliance level among KSRTC ordinary buses and old contract carriages is equally poor,” said an MVD officer.
A joint committee of bus owners’ associations announced the one-day strike against the delay in increasing the student fare and for imposing additional burden on bus owners by demanding seat belts and cameras in the vehicles.
The minister, however, said that the committee studying the recommendation for a fare hike is yet to submit its report.