Sheekha Bureau
Port Blair, June 24: There are a few private buses in Andaman and Nicobar Islands for which it is difficult to say as to which company engines those buses are fitted with, or where the body of those buses have been manufactured. Public often doubt that some people buy old bus engines, construct body of the bus from unknown manufacturer and then bring those buses in Andaman. This not only poses a direct threat to the commuters who use this bus services, but also increases the chances of road mishaps.
The real Bus manufacturers conduct dozens of safety tests on buses before selling any model, which includes safety test, crash test, aerodynamic test etc. for the safety of passengers but in case of bus body manufactured by unknown Manufacturer safety of public, often do not get such priority.
Public demand that condition of the express buses going to various destination like Diglipur, Mayabandar etc. should be inspected strictly and in a proper manner. Public safety is dependent on the condition of these vehicles so, no negligence should be tolerated.
“The height of the buses that is constructed is sometimes much more than what is needed in the Andamans. Buses with this height cannot turn easily on roads that have a lot of bends and sharp turns. The commuters sitting inside the bus feel as if the bus will tumble as soon as it takes a turn. I would like to request the state transport authority to lay down guidelines regarding the height of the bus.” said Mr. Raj Govind, the Zilla Parishad Member of Sippighat area.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha recently, the Director of Transport Dr. Navlendra Singh recently said that the Transport Department was not aware of any such activities. However, he said that this topic will be investigated and if anyone is found guilty of using old engine in new body then appropriate action will be taken.
Meanwhile as per insiders in Transport Department there is no existing rule in Andaman to prevent anyone from brining such buses, if this is true, then technically the people who are bringing such buses are not legally wrong. In that case the Transport Department must look into this matter seriously and take some steps to ensure safety of public and introduce some guidelines in this case.
