Meet mulls measures to rein in errant private buses in Kerala

KOCHI: Following frequent road accidents involving private transport buses in Kochi city, a meeting convened by Advocate General of Kerala with police and motor vehicles department (MVD) on Thursday decided to strengthen enforcement activities. The enforcement activities will be enhanced from Friday.

The meeting was held in the wake of Kerala High Court’s intervention after several people died and many suffered grievous injuries following the accidents involving private buses.

The meeting chaired by Advocate General of Kerala K Gopalakrishna Kurup was attended by Director General of Prosecution T A Shaji, Kochi City Police deputy commissioner S Sasidharan, and Ernakulam RTO G Ananthakrishnan. In the meeting, a coordinated effort by police and MVD to curtail reckless driving of private buses was planned. Special squads will be conducting regular checks to ensure that private buses are following traffic rules.

Strict action will be taken against buses that do not stop on the left side of the road for passengers to board the vehicle. Similarly, action would be initiated against buses that operate with open doors, overtaking from left side, not following lane traffic movement and involved in competitive driving.

Police also decided to take action against buses that block other vehicles from taking free left at traffic junctions. Directions have been given to check whether illegal alterations made inside and outside of private buses operating in Kochi city.