Relief for tourist operators as vehicles with ‘power backup’ allowed to operate
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Much to the relief of tour operators, the transport department has decided to lift the restrictions on tourist vehicles that use additional engines. The decision would benefit around 3,000 vehicle owners who had to stop operations since October last year when the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) stepped up the enforcement on vehicles using ‘power backup’ after the Vadakkancherry accident that resulted in the death of nine people.
The government relented after the tourist operators pointed out similar rule violations in caravans, which are promoted by the tourism department.
The Contract Carriage Operators Association (CCOA) welcomed the decision. “Most of the old vehicles are owned by people without much means. The decision to ban has affected their livelihood. They missed an entire tourist season.
Some of them have sold their vehicles to other states where there is no ban,” said Contract Carriage Operators Association (CCOA) general secretary, S Prasanthan. He pointed out that the transport department singled out tourist vehicles while similar power backups were used in caravans, concrete mixers, food wagons, OB vans, and fish trucks.
However, the MVD pointed out that the order to offer relaxation is conditional as the power backup should be used only for operating the air conditioning system. “There was already a ruling by the National Green Tribunal against the use of donkey engines. A ban was imposed on tourist vehicles when the High Court took the suo moto case after the Vadakkancherry accident,” said an officer of MVD.