The recent re-launch of the drive to detect faulty speed governors in buses has stirred up protest from the part of KSRTC bus employees.
They feel that the motor vehicles department(MVD) is targetting KSRTC buses more than private buses, while carrying out inspections.
The KSRTC employees allege that this is to help certain private bus operators. And consider this as the reason for conducting inspections on KSRTC buses when they are parked at bus stands and depots.
The MVD officials are unwilling to inspect the private buses even when the buses speed on the roads, they allege. The members of the northern districts of the KSRTC Employees Association have even approached their state leaders to intervene in the issue.
According to the statistics available with the MVD, officials with six regional transport offices in the five northern districts detected 79 vehicles with faulty speed governors during the inspections carried out in the first five days of February. Of the total number of vehicles detected, 54 are KSRTC buses.
The inspections were carried out on private buses, KSRTC buses and tipper trucks. While the number of tipper trucks detected without speed governor or with faulty speed governor is 16, only 9 private buses were detected with faulty speed governors during the five-day check.
“KSRTC buses are inspected even when inspection is carried out on private bus stands,” complained Indu Kumar, Kozhikode unit secretary of KSRTC Employees Association (CITU).
“We have received many complaints from KSRTC employees who work on the Kozhikode-Kannur stretch,” he said, alleging that the MVD officials were carrying out inspection on the complaints of private bus operators.
“The KSRTC is reeling under financial crisis and we are not given fund for repairing the speed governors. Following such a situation, what we do to control speed is reset the RPM (revolution per minute) of the engine, which is normally 2,500-3,000 to 1,500,” said Indu Kumar.
Besides, the MVD officials do not even drive the bus and check whether the bus can cross the speed limit before cancelling fitness, he added.
While public are in support of the move to cancel the fitness certificate of vehicles those tamper with speed governors, they also demand action against private buses those have resume their death race even in the city.
“Private buses which ply on the Kozhikode-Kuttiady route are the worst in violating speed limit. I am sure that they would be crossing the 60km per hour limit even in the city,” said Saji Govind, a two-wheeler rider residing at West Hill.
“These buses stop in the middle of the road at Nadakkavu, Vandippetta, West Hill and many other junctions, violate lane traffic rules and pay no respect to the motorists coming from the opposite side,” he said.
“These buses have to be issued notice and the drivers should be penalised,” he aired his anger .
Meanwhile, joint transport commissioner Alex Paul denied the allegations saying that the MVD had no rivalry with KSRTC.
“Till recently we were not inspecting KSRTC buses. We started inspections now and the employees are coming up with such allegations,” he said.
Times of India
