Kochi: The apathy of the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) in filing a submission before the High Court on the issue of making doors mandatory for city private buses has led to them continuing to be operated without adhering to safety measures. The government had amended Rule 280(2) of the Kerala Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 to make shutters mandatory for both the front and rear doors of city buses across the state from July 1, 2016 to ensure safety of passengers and to put an end to travelling on the footboard.
Then State Transport Commissioner Tomin J Thachankary had even asked all Deputy Transport Commiss-ioners, Regional Transport Officers and Joint RTOs to ensure that the new rule was complied with. However, the notification was challenged by bus owners in the High Court and the case has not progressed for the last one year. Bus owners opposed on the ground that installing normal doors posed operational difficulties and hence should be replaced with pneumatic doors.
“Curiously, bus owners had unanimously opposed and submitted a representation when the State government issued a draft notification in 2011 to introduce pneumatic doors on the ground that it was not practical and viable. The same bus owners have now opposed the latest notification in the court demanding pneumatic doors for normal door shutters. Their intention is to delay implementation of the new rule,” Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) sources said.
While considering the petition filed by bus owners, the court asked MVD to file a statement on behalf of the government though it didn’t issue any interim stay on the implementation of the notification. However, the MVD is yet to file its submission before the court nor has it bothered to take action against city services operating without door shutters even though there is no legal impediment to enforcing the notification. As such private bus operators continue to operate services with impunity even as the MVD has restricted action to mofussil services alone for operating without door shutters.
