Drive to check road safety: 31 buses seized; 20 cases registered

Guwahati: Following complaints from commuters, the Transport Department conducted an intensified drive to check if city buses are following road safety and other norms. In the wake of complaints from commuters about misdemeanours and other offences committed by drivers and conductors, DTOs and enforcement officials conducted an intensive drive in the city buses on different routes over the past three days.

The primary objective was to ensure that motor vehicle rules permit conditions and adherence to road safety norms and that the drivers and conductors of the city buses behave politely with the commuters.

Officials disclosed that the department altogether registered 20 cases against the city buses for various offences, besides seizing 31 buses.

"They issued challans to owners of 20 city buses during the three-day-long drive," said Rafiqul Islam, DTO-cum-Secretary, Regional Transport Authority.

Clad in plainclothes, the DTOs and enforcement officials hopped from one city bus to another to book the offences committed with impunity by the bus drivers and conductors.

Some of the offences are non-issuance of the ticket, boarding through the front door, doors flung open while running, haphazard parking on stops, non-display of route number, permit number, route diversion, waiting at a stop for more than a minute, rash overtaking, undue halt on non-designated stops and misbehaving with passengers. It is worth noting that there is 22 set of rules for the bus drivers and conductors to abide by.

The Gauhati High Court also passed directions in this regard. "Violation of any rule will not only result in the imposition of penalty, but also suspension or cancellation of the permit," said Himangshu Das, DTO (enforcement).

It is learnt that the Transport department officials are planning to launch a drive against traffic violations, including not wearing helmets, not using seatbelts, over-speeding, overloading, rash driving and vehicles plying without valid fitness certificates.

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