In view of the rising number of accidents involving private buses, the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has decided to suspend permits of errant private buses.
Official sources said the step was being initiated to ensure that the bus owners were held accountable in case of eventualities and to force them to deploy only qualified personnel to handle their vehicles.
The decision comes in the wake of the two accidents that claimed two lives in Ernakulam Rural district on Monday. Investigations into the Aluva case, in which a 20-year-old woman was killed when a private bus hit her scooter, revealed that the person driving the bus at the time of the accident possessed no valid licence to drive heavy vehicles. The police have also booked an 18-year-old who drove a private bus at Aluva stand and caused an accident.
The MVD also plans to hold surprise inspections.