KOCHI: Coming down heavily on the reckless and dangerous driving of private buses, the Kerala High Court on Friday observed that private bus drivers were not the “lords of the streets” but “Yamas on the streets”.
The court made the scathing observation after examining footage of the accident at Kakkanad in which a young woman was killed.
After viewing the video of the incident, Justice Devan Ramachandran observed: “Look at the way lives are being claimed. She’s somebody’s daughter. Drivers must drive with fear. When you let these people take the law into their own hands like this, particularly on a street like this where there are no footpaths, a catastrophe is waiting to happen.”
“There are complaints coming from citizens that buses are being driven very recklessly. The drivers try to create fear among commuters by sounding their horns. The buses are encroaching on footpaths, posing a danger to pedestrians,” the court observed.
When the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (law and order and traffic), Kochi city, who appeared before the court, submitted that the driver concerned had been arrested, the court said: “I am not concerned with the arrest of the driver. They don’t respect the law. These drivers are not the lords of the streets.
They are the Yamas on the streets now. What is it that you can do to control this? That is what I am asking the police. If the police also cannot control it, then where do we go? What do we do?” The court asked why the police did not insist that an employee, or a driver without at least a Smart ID card, should not be allowed to drive in the city.
“If an employer or an operator continues to employ them, penalise them. Take action against the vehicle and the owner. Drivers whose licences are suspended for a week come back and drive like maniacs on the streets again. Earlier, we used to call them ‘red killers’. The colours have changed, but the incidents of commuters being killed continue. What kind of driving is this? Why should you worry about their timings? Is that a justification for the police? The police’s business is to ensure safety,” the HC said.
