KOTTAYAM: With the statistics of accidents on MC Road showing an upsurge, the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has deployed a round-the-clock monitoring squad on Angamaly-Changanasserry stretch to minimise accidents and check illegal activities.
Equipped with modern technologies, including camera and radar, the MC Road Enforcement Squad has officially started monitoring the stretch on Tuesday.
The squad, which was flagged off by Transport Commissioner R Sreelekha at Kodimatha, will conduct 24-hour patrolling. A vehicle inspector and two assistant inspectors will be in the team.
The stretch will be divided into three sections: Changanassery-Kuravilangadu, Kuravilangadu-Moovattupuzha and Moovattupuzha-Angamaly. In the first week, the team will be on awareness mode. Subsequently it will start checking violations such as wrong-side overtaking, riding through footpaths, dangerous and illegal parking and violation of oneways.According to Kottayam Regional Transport Officer T J Thomas, warnings will be given to those who break rules till the maintenance works on the road are over. Once they are completed, the team will be stricter towards offenders by levying fines.
In the case of buses, fines will be levied for keeping doors without shutters, failure to keep first-aid boxes, separate driver’s cabin, reserved seats and misbehaviour of both passengers and operators.
Denying concession to students and drivers using drugs will also be considered punishable offences, he said. Poor condition of roads and violation of rules are claimed to be the factors for increasing number of accidents, said Thomas. The squad was formed after the success of the Safe Zone Programme introduced on Sabarimala road during the pilgrim season, he said.