Though nearly all buses of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) operating in the state have speed governors installed in them, as mandated by the norms of the Motor Vehicles Department, most of these buses are either broken or non-functional.
While the Motor Vehicles Department had conducted extensive checking in all buses which did not have speed governors after a series of accidents rocked the state last week, many KSRTC buses had it easy, with officials booking only 24 KSRTC buses compared to over 300 private buses which were booked for tampered speed governors across the state.
However, sources with the KSRTC said that the Corporation’s buses operating from most depots in the state have faulty speed governors.
Heavy shortage of sensors, motors and other materials which are needed for proper functioning of speed governors is the prime reason behind the shoddy maintenance of speed governors in the buses at almost all the depots in the state. Also, the official apathy at the head office of the Corporation in Thiruvananthapuram in disbursing funds for timely repair is yet another reason, sources said.
“In almost all the buses, the speed governors are not functional. The cost of sensors and cables is very high. The maintenance funds we receive for each bus are just not enough for repairing the speed governors,” they said. In certain depots like Perumbavoor in Ernakulam, out of the 45 buses, only eight or nine buses have functional speed governors.
“We have submitted requests to the head office and have been assured that the funds for the purpose will be soon allotted,” he said. Owing to the checks by the Motor Vehicles Department, the KSRTC Operations Department had issued circulars to all depots demanding that the officials ensure proper functioning of speed governors in all buses. Measures are being initiated to obtain the needed materials to fix the speed governors, KSRTC officials added.
Earlier last week, Transport Commissioner Rishi Raj Singh had issued strict directions to all officers of the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) to conduct an extensive check of all buses operating in the state. More than 300 private buses, mostly plying on routes in central districts of Kerala, have lost their fitness certificates following last week’s raids.
After the private bus operators went on a strike against the move, the government decided to allow private bus operators more time to install speed governors in their buses, and the deadline for the same has been set for October 2.
Source: New Indian Express
