KAKKANAD:The Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) on Thursday registered case against 52 mofussil private buses for plying without doors.
The buses were booked from Paravoor, Aluva, Angamaly and Tripunithura by an eight-member squad led by Ernakulam RTO K M Shaji. The drive was launched after conductor of a private bus plying in the Aluva-Varappuzha route fell off the moving bus in Aluva on Wednesday.
“The buses will be allowed to conduct service only after installing doors. We cannot take any risk by playing with people’s lives. The bus operators have to present their vehicles before the authority concerned by Friday itself,” the RTO said.
Meanwhile, the RTO alleged that the State Government’s apathy in amending the existing Motor Vehicle Rules has resulted in an increase in road accidents. “A memorandum was submitted to the State Government for amending the Kerala Motor Vehicle Rule. But, the government is yet to respond,” he added.
The Rule states that entrances of stage carriages shall be provided with shutters that can be opened outward from both inside and outside, except in the case of town and city services. Recently, the State Transport Appellate Tribunal had issued an order staying an RTA order to install pneumatic doors in private buses in the district, after the deadline set for the same expired. The stay order was issued based on a petition filed by Private Bus Operators Association general secretary K B Suneer, stating that the RTA order was impractical.
“Installing doors in buses plying in the city is inevitable. We can vacate the stay only if the government brings amendments to the existing rules,” the RTO added.