Karnataka   

Order on speed control kits does not find favour with many

Chitradurga: A High Court of Karnataka order mandating all transport vehicles to install “speed governors” in their vehicles has found disfavour with many owners across the State.

To regulate vehicular movement to help minimise accidents, the High Court, in its August 2006 verdict, had ordered all Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) across the State to ensure its installation.

The court was of the view that in the absence of speed limit controllers in transport vehicles, cases of road accidents, mainly on highways, were on the increase. The order was issued in this backdrop, to prevent loss of life and property. Though it has not been implemented, through a decree issued on September 17, the court directed all RTOs to register new transport vehicles only after ensuring installation of the kit. However, the order has been deferred for all old vehicles till January next year.

Following the issue of the order, several lorry owners staged a dharna in front of the RTO here on Tuesday and Wednesday opposing its imposition.

Meanwhile, lorry owners have been opposing the order saying that they have to incur an expenditure of over Rs. 15,000 while adhering to the order. “Why should we pay such a heavy price? This is the responsibility of vehicle manufacturers. Moreover, they do not give us guarantees for the machine. So why should we take on the entire burden?” said president of the State Lorry Owners Association G.S. Shanmukhappa.

He said such laws would no doubt prevent lorries from exceeding the speed limit of 60 kmph. However, it meant increased travelling time and consumption of fuel. The State has 2.75 lakh lorries of which 1.3 lakh have national permit. Since installation of the kit would curb speed limits, vehicles having national permit would face tremendous difficulties, he said.

“On the Mumbai-Pune highway, the Government imposes fines on vehicles travelling at less than 60 kmph. If we install the kit, we would have to end up paying fines every time we use the highway,” he said.

Mr. Shanmukhappa said that while the Governments were constructing superhighways to ensure quick movement of traffic, its purpose was defeated by effecting speed limitation laws.

He questioned the rationale behind the court’s concern for safety, citing non-application of kit installation for all vehicle owners such as those of two-wheelers. “When no such rule exists anywhere in the country, why should it be effected in Karnataka?” he asked.

He said the matter was taken up before the Transport Ministry but no positive result had come of it.

When contacted, State Transport Commissioner Lakshminarayan told The Hindu over telephone that since the department was bound to abide by the order, it had asked all the transport vehicle owners to install the kit.

On condition of anonymity, officials in the Ministry admitted that the rule was inexplicit and vague. “Many pragmatic aspects should have been considered before passing the judgment,” they said.

The officials said three options were available to ensure speed regulation: installing sign boards mentioning speed limits; adopting modern methods such as use of electronic devices to check over-speeding; and installation of “speed governors”.

“Instead of asking vehicle owners to install the kit, the High Court could have directed the Government to use the first two options effectively to control speed violations,” they felt.

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