Kochi: Private buses, lorries, including tanker, LPG and container lorries, will keep off the road from September 16 in protest against the Government order directing heavy vehicle owners to install speed governors in their vehicles before November 20.

Addressing separate press conferences on Thursday, office-bearers of lorry owners' association and bus owners and operators' associations demanded withdrawal of the order.

Ousepachan Ambooken and Francis Kuttikad, chairman and convener of the Coordination Committee of Lorries, Tanker lorries, LPG and Container Lorries Owners Associations, said the Left Democratic Front Government had revived the order on speed governors which had been withdrawn by the previous United Democratic Front Government. The LDF Government reissued the order because of pressure from some government officials just to save them contempt of court proceedings in a case relating to speed governors pending before the Supreme Court.

The difficulty

They alleged that the Government had failed to apprise the Supreme Court of the difficulty in implementing the direction to install speed governors for vehicles in the State. The Government should have convinced the court that no other State has imposed such a condition.

They said the Government had not told the court that the installation of speed governors in Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses had not yielded the desired results. In fact, the KSRTC had to incur heavy losses because of the installation of speed governors. They were of the view that the Supreme Court would have softened its stand on the issue if the Government had told the apex court that it would keep a tab on the speed of heavy vehicles by setting up speed radars all over the State.

Khalid Mundapilly and T. Gopinath, president and secretary of the All Kerala Bus Operators Organisation and Kerala State Private Bus Owners Federation respectively, demanded that private buses be exempted from the order.

They pleaded that the concession given for students should be reduced to 50 per cent and that the Government give them 50 per cent of the fare as subsidy. They said the Government should take steps to compensate bus owners for the recent hike in diesel price. The organisations demanded that the hike in motor tax, fees and fines be withdrawn.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail