The State government has accepted a finding by the Transport Commissioner that the bus accident at Vadakkenchery was caused by speeding and negligence on the part of the tourist bus driver, even as the Transport department announced a set of measures for cracking down on law violations.
Finding that the electronic speed control unit of the tourist bus had been tampered with, the government has decided to initiate legal action against the vehicle dealer and garage owner responsible for it, Minister for Transport Antony Raju said after a high-level meeting of Transport department officials.
“The Regional Transport Officer (Enforcement), Palakkad, has been directed to file a police complaint,’‘ he said. Henceforth, action would not be restricted to the vehicle owner alone, but would be extended to vehicle dealers and workshop owners who facilitated unauthorised modifications, he said.
Nine people, including five students, had died when the tourist bus rammed a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus.
Fine to be hiked to ₹10,000
The fine for unauthorised modifications on vehicles would be hiked from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 for every such modification detected on a vehicle. The revision would not require a law amendment, Mr. Raju said. Steps would be taken to cancel the certificate of fitness of public carriage vehicles that were not fitted with GPS.
Contract carriages with all-India permits registered in other States would be taxed in Kerala as was being done by Tamil Nadu. To avoid it, such vehicles should obtain Kerala registration by November 1. Monday's meeting decided to cancel an earlier directive by the Transport Commissioner allowing free movement for such vehicles.
Officials to be held responsible
Monday's meeting decided to act stern on law violations concerning speed governors, extra fittings, unauthorised modifications and lights on vehicles. Such vehicles would not be permitted on the road, Mr. Raju said, adding that the inspections by the Motor Vehicles department would continue.
Officers in the 86 Regional Transport Offices in the State would be responsible for the inspection of a specific number of vehicles in their jurisdiction. They would also be held accountable if violations were detected later on. Fifteen vehicles would be checked at the level of the Deputy Transport Commissioners every week. “There will also be a ‘super checking’ at the State level,’‘ he said.
Uniform colour code
The uniform colour code for contract carriage vehicles would be enforced immediately. Vehicles that violated the code would be seized, the Minister said.
Driving licences of people found driving under the influence of intoxicants would be cancelled, the Transport Minister said. The Motor Vehicles department had decided to collaborate with the Excise department to track down such drivers, he said. ''The licences will be restored only after they undergo refresher training at the Institute of Driver Training and Research (IDTR),'' he said.
