Massive drive by Kerala MVD against tourist buses after a horrible accident

Following a horrifying accident in the Southern state of Kerala, that claimed the lives of 9 people due to negligence and ignorance of rash driving. The Motor Vehicle Department of Kerala (MVD) has initiated a series of actions to avoid accidents of these sorts from happening in the state in future. Recently a tourist bus that was overspeeding in Vadakkancherry in the Palakkad district rammed into a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus because of which nine people, including five students, were killed and over 40 were injured.

The KSRTC bus which was carrying students of Baselios Vidyaniketan, Ernakulam, on a field trip to Ooty was rammed into by the tourist bus which was overspeeding. This incident has sparked a major controversy in the state and the nation about the careless rash driving that many bus drivers do. Many authorities have come forward and demanded a detailed report on the incident and asked for recommendations for the avoidance of the same.

Speeding needs to be reduced, said Transport Commissioner S. Srijith, who also serves as the Secretary of the Kerala Road Safety Authority (KRSA). He further stated that the transportation department must be informed of any excursions by school officials. Speaking to a media outlet Srijith added, “We plan the vacation of students, their exams and even the syllabus. Why can’t we plan their school trips? If the schools inform us about their trips, we are ready to conduct fitness tests of the driver and the vehicle. We have done fitness tests on 22,000 school buses in the state. We are just waiting for the schools to inform us. What if the trip is a bit delayed, we can ensure safety,”

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Closing unnecessary gaps in the median (divider) that are accessible to drivers and pedestrians is one of the significant suggestions that the Regional Transport Office (RTO) has given to the Palakkad District Collector. When recklessly attempting to manoeuvre through these spaces, vehicles may strike them. The following suggestion was for numerous places along the route to have enough illumination. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has regulations that state that only populated sections of road may have street lights installed. However, many of the areas that were barren while the road was being built now contain homes and structures. Streetlights must be installed and the populated areas must be examined.

Furthermore, the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) started a crackdown on tour buses running in the state. Many inspections across Kerala found that the majority of contract carriages had breached safety regulations. As part of Operation Focus 3, which was started by the department after the Vadakkencherry incident to take action against buses breaking the law, 67 cases were lodged across the State on Saturday. Additionally, a fine of Rs 87,000 was assessed in relation to the instances.

Among the other violations discovered were unauthorised alterations, misuse of the speed regulator, and the installation of a horn, light, and music system. The drive was conducted in Idukki, Thamarassery in Kozhikode, and Museum Junction in Thiruvananthapuram. The most frequent infractions were improperly installed horns and lights. Vehicles that have been in violation of the law for the first time, according to MVD, are released with a fine.

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