A news report from Hindu says that the Motor Vehicles Department has found that the speed governor of the superfast bus of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation which rammed a fast passenger bus in NH-47 at Kadambattukonam on April 15, was tampered with. (ഇതൊക്കെ ഇവരിപ്പോഴാണോ ആറിയുന്നത്??? )
According to Hindu, the report says that.
This was revealed during the detailed inspection carried out in the Thrissur-bound bus by the Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Kollam, official sources told The Hindu. The gadget was found detached in the bus during inspection adding credence to the theory that speeding of the superfast bus had resulted in the accident, which claimed the lives of four people. The MVD authorities could not ascertain the condition of the speed governor in the fast passenger, which was coming from Kollam to Attingal, as the bus had been badly damaged in the collision, sources said. Speed governors in heavy vehicles are usually tampered with so that the vehicles can go faster. The gadgets in majority of the buses in the State-owned fleet are either tampered with or are not working. RULES SAY THUS As per rules, an MVD official should ensure that the speed limit of all heavy vehicles, including KSRTC buses, is fixed at 60 km an hour and the gadget is sealed to prevent tampering. Endorsement has to be made in the Registration Certificate (RC). The manufacturer and the dealer who install the gadget jointly issue the certificate. Some firms issue it with a hologram. MVD officials never demand the certificate when the vehicle is taken for the annual Certificate of Fitness (CF) test. The certificate is being ‘reused’ in majority of vehicles. A WAY OUT “When the buses are brought for CF test, the speed governors will be working. Later, they are detached at the depots to attain speeds above 60 km. We are helpless,” an MVD official said. Road safety experts say the MVD personnel can check the speed governors if the department procures a programmer that costs Rs.1,000. The programmer is a handset-like device and it can be connected to the electronic control unit of the speed governor to find whether the speed limit fixed by the manufacturer and the dealer had been tampered with. KSRTC INQUIRY Meanwhile, the high-level inquiry carried out by the KSRTC into the accident has reportedly put the blame on the superfast bus driver. The report is being finalised and will be submitted to Minister for Transport Aryadan Mohammed soon, sources said.