Kerala - Alappuzha   

Motor vehicle inspectors' car collides with lorry

Staff Reporter

Officers allege fatigue due to overwork

ALAPPUZHA: A road accident at Kariyilakulangara, near Kayamkulam, involving two Transport Department officials early this morning, is taking a twist with reasons including "unscientific" workload being attributed to the cause of the accident.

Two Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspectors (MVI) attached to Mavelikara, K.S. Vinod and Binu K. Pillai, were injured when the Speed Tracer car they were travelling in collided with a lorry transporting rice from Kollam to Thrissur around 12.30 a.m. on Friday. The impact of the collision led to a fuel leak and the lorry caught fire. The two officials sustained injuries and were taken to the Alappuzha Medical College from where they were shifted to the Medical Trust Hospital in Kochi later on Friday. No casualties were reported.

However, the incident now has a twist with the Kerala Motor Vehicles' Department Gazetted Officers' Association alleging that the accident occurred because the two officials were overburdened with work and that the resultant fatigue had led to the mishap. The Association has also threatened to boycott checking of vehicles during the night as part of the State Government's Safety For Everyone Always (SAFE) programme.

SAFE programme

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Association president Poulose K. Koshy (MVI, Palakkad) and general secretary Sajith V. (MVI, Alappuzha) said the launch of the SAFE traffic programme had adversely affected officials of the department due to a shortage of staff and infrastructure that was required to ensure success of the programme.

"Due to the shortage of manpower and equipment and the unscientific scheduling of work, our normal office work is seriously affected, which in turn affects a large portion of the general public. In spite of that, we have been working in the office during the day and then going for vehicular

checking in the night as part of SAFE, which translates into a 24-hour job. This has caused immense work pressure and fatigue among us and this accident is just the tip of an iceberg," Mr. Koshy said, adding that the same had been brought to the notice of the higher-ups, but to no avail.

"The two officials were working from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the office and then till midnight, were checking vehicles. The Speed Tracer car did not have the necessary radar, camera units, smoke tester or anything necessary to implement the SAFE programme," he said.

The Association demanded sufficient night checking equipment, an increase in number of checking staff and a practical, scientific scheduling of work to enable them smoothly discharge their duties.

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