THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Apparently identifying reckless driving by private bus drivers as a major cause of the alarming rise in the number of road accidents in the state, the motor vehicles department (MVD) has come out with a slew of deterrent measures like geotagging the carriers using GPS and suspending the permit of vehicles that cause serious accidents.
The existing laws have the provisions to cancel the driver’s licence for reckless driving, Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar has said.
In a bid to put the onus of responsible driving on bus owners, it has been decided to suspend the permits of the carriers that cause fatal accidents for six months. The permit of buses involved in accidents with serious injuries will be suspended for three months, the minister said.
The first step in this direction will be the suspension of the permit of the private bus that caused the death of a pedestrian at East Fort in Thiruvananthapuram on December 6, he said.
Police clearance to be must for bus crew
The minister was speaking after a high-level meeting of MVD officials in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. He said bus operators must complete geotagging in three months. “It will ensure buses operate as per schedule. A society of bus operators shall be formed to monitor geotagging. Buses that violate schedule shall be liable to pay `50 to the society,” Ganesh said. Competition among private bus operators is a major cause for the high number of accidents, he said.
It has also been decided to make police clearance mandatory for bus crew, who will also be trained on customer care.
He said buses should display phone numbers of owners so that passengers can register complaint.
“RTO will monitor the complaint redressal, and if unsatisfactory, numbers of MVD officers will be displayed,” Ganesh said. MVD has decided to take action against buses not operating last trips. Ganesh said skipping the last trip is a permit violation and buses operating on same route should take turns to operate the last trip in case passenger turnout is low. He said the operators would be given time till March to install cameras inside buses.
Holding faulty road designs as another cause of accidents, Ganesh promised a lasting solution to problems at Panayampadam accident site in Palakkad. The measures include creating a permanent divider, shifting of bus bay and provision to reduce speed. The road at Mundoor would be modified and blinker lights set up.