KOLKATA: The state government on Wednesday adopted a carrot-and-stick policy to discipline pool car drivers, penalizing errant operators and offering an incentive to the law-abiding ones. The transport department has warned operators that their permits would be cancelled and their vehicles scrapped if they did not comply with the government safety guidelines, but at the same time, it promised to provide single-window clearance to all permits to owners/drivers who would graduate to safer and newer commercial vehicles.
The move came after at least two vehicles ferrying schoolkids recently met with accidents—two children injured in one of the mishaps have been on ventilation—and another driver, while transporting 11 children home, was found drunk near Kolkata Station. Nudged into action by these incidents, the transport department decided on a zero-tolerance stand against non-compliance of vehicular safety.
While police have already launched a crackdown on these vehicles—most of the sector is unregularized but parents are unfortunately forced to send their children to school in those unsafe vehicles—the department has decided on checks immediately after Madhyamik. Tyres, brakes, speed-governors and drivers’ experience would be given maximum importance, said a senior transport department official. Re-soled tyres, faulty brakes, absence of speed governors and less-than-five-years’ experience of drivers would lead to the scrapping of the vehicle, he added.
A recent check by police revealed that a lot of pool cars did not have speed-governors, and those installed in a few vehicles did not work. “This is the problem with retro-fitting speed-governors. This is why, we want the operators to shift to new, safer vehicles, which come with speed-governors installed in them,” said a transport department official. Transport department and police want the operators to align their GPS with the vehicle-tracking system of the Kolkata Police so that cops can keep tabs on the vehicles. Transport officials said police had started a survey on the mode of commute preferred by parents for their kids: bus, pool car or private car. Based on the report, prioritizing of school vehicles will be strategized.
Police said it planned another round of crackdown on vehicles the end of the board exams. “Hardly a few days will remain for summer vacation to set in after the Madhyamik gets over. It will allow enough time for pool car owners to rectify mistakes after they get pulled up for disobeying basic rules,” an officer said. “On our part, we will insist on a few rules: valid registration, carrying capacity, following basic traffic norms and all documents in place,” said an officer at Lalbazar. A SOP on the dos and don’ts is likely to reach all 25 traffic guards soon. Police said the traffic guards had sought permission to carry out checks once the vehicles reached the schools. “They often get away, citing the kids would get late for school. They also try to fudge the number of kids they ferry. So, we need to carry out checks outside schools. We have also identified a few zones in Kolkata, where maximum violation of rules takes place. During the crackdown, we will put men from other zones in these spots,” said an officer from a traffic guard in central Kolkata.
On the other hand, on request from the city-based West Bengal Pool Car Operators’ Association, the state has reportedly agreed in principle to provide single-window clearance for all documents required to ply pool cars. “The transport department also promised to consider our plea for a waiver on interest, both on pending permit fees and road tax,” said Arupam Dutta, secretary West Bengal Car Pool Operators’ Welfare Association.
The move came after at least two vehicles ferrying schoolkids recently met with accidents—two children injured in one of the mishaps have been on ventilation—and another driver, while transporting 11 children home, was found drunk near Kolkata Station. Nudged into action by these incidents, the transport department decided on a zero-tolerance stand against non-compliance of vehicular safety.
While police have already launched a crackdown on these vehicles—most of the sector is unregularized but parents are unfortunately forced to send their children to school in those unsafe vehicles—the department has decided on checks immediately after Madhyamik. Tyres, brakes, speed-governors and drivers’ experience would be given maximum importance, said a senior transport department official. Re-soled tyres, faulty brakes, absence of speed governors and less-than-five-years’ experience of drivers would lead to the scrapping of the vehicle, he added.
A recent check by police revealed that a lot of pool cars did not have speed-governors, and those installed in a few vehicles did not work. “This is the problem with retro-fitting speed-governors. This is why, we want the operators to shift to new, safer vehicles, which come with speed-governors installed in them,” said a transport department official. Transport department and police want the operators to align their GPS with the vehicle-tracking system of the Kolkata Police so that cops can keep tabs on the vehicles. Transport officials said police had started a survey on the mode of commute preferred by parents for their kids: bus, pool car or private car. Based on the report, prioritizing of school vehicles will be strategized.
Police said it planned another round of crackdown on vehicles the end of the board exams. “Hardly a few days will remain for summer vacation to set in after the Madhyamik gets over. It will allow enough time for pool car owners to rectify mistakes after they get pulled up for disobeying basic rules,” an officer said. “On our part, we will insist on a few rules: valid registration, carrying capacity, following basic traffic norms and all documents in place,” said an officer at Lalbazar. A SOP on the dos and don’ts is likely to reach all 25 traffic guards soon. Police said the traffic guards had sought permission to carry out checks once the vehicles reached the schools. “They often get away, citing the kids would get late for school. They also try to fudge the number of kids they ferry. So, we need to carry out checks outside schools. We have also identified a few zones in Kolkata, where maximum violation of rules takes place. During the crackdown, we will put men from other zones in these spots,” said an officer from a traffic guard in central Kolkata.
On the other hand, on request from the city-based West Bengal Pool Car Operators’ Association, the state has reportedly agreed in principle to provide single-window clearance for all documents required to ply pool cars. “The transport department also promised to consider our plea for a waiver on interest, both on pending permit fees and road tax,” said Arupam Dutta, secretary West Bengal Car Pool Operators’ Welfare Association.
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