The state government on Thursday asked bus operators to do everything possible to curb rash driving and suggested setting up a real-time communication network with drivers in stage carriages for monitoring speed.
The Transport Department convened an emergency meeting with top police officials, traffic police officials, along with different bus owners’ associations, and heads of state transport undertakings, to address the growing concern over reckless driving and road safety.
In the meeting, State Transport Minister Snehashis Chakraborty emphasized on the importance of adhering to traffic rules along with wearing helmets and also urged bus owners to ensure that their drivers comply with regulations. “We have told the operators that in case of death of any person in a bus accident, murder charges will be slapped against the errant driver,” he said.
The Minister said that the private bus owners have also been asked to do away with the commission system to minimise rash driving. Under this system, a driver is lured to overtake another vehicle plying on the same route for monetary incentives by getting more passengers than the other.
Meanwhile, a member of the West Bengal Bus and Minibus Owners Association said that a bus which runs late beyond the scheduled time will also be fined.
“…we hear a lot of complaints from various quarters about the commission system and how it is reported to be one of the root causes behind the rash driving by drivers. We have to eliminate all factors responsible for dangerous driving – speeding and violation of lanes,” he said. Chakraborty, further, announced the rollout of regular awareness campaigns to promote road safety and the “Safe Drive Save Life” initiative.
Additionally, he highlighted the government’s commitment to leveraging technology to improve road safety, with Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar, spearheading the development of advanced traffic monitoring systems to prevent accidents.
He further said that it has been decided to earmark certain points, which would be marked ‘dangerous’ from the safety point of view of pedestrians, motorists and passengers across the state.
“Senior transport and police officials are at work to devise a seamless network, which can ensure communication between every bus driver on real-time basis when he is on road so that his movement can be monitored and quick action taken in the event of any untoward incident. The nitty gritty and workings of such connectivity will be devised by the officials and IT experts,” he said.
Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, who was also present at the meeting said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had personally called him to enquire about the steps being taken to address the issue. Hakim suggested the implementation of a Standard Operating Procedure to regulate the number of buses operating on specific routes at specific times. He emphasized on the need for a robust traffic monitoring system to be overseen by the DGP.
Joint Council of Bus Syndicate general secretary Tapan Banerjee said the state government should not ignore the ground realities like encroachment of pavement by hawkers, clogging of roads by autorickshaws and other slow-moving vehicles.
The schoolboy was on a scooter with his mother, when a speeding bus, allegedly racing with another, hit the scooter and due to the collision the boy fell on the road, which led to his death. — WITH PTI