Other States - Orissa   

State moves to rein in staff of buses

BHUBANESWAR: The Orissa government is contemplating making the registration of bus drivers, conductors and cleaners mandatory following the death of a father and his daughter who were pushed out of a moving bus in Jharusguda district.

Expressing deep concern over the ‘insensibility’ of the conductor that caused the death, Minister of State for Commerce and Transport Jaya Narayan Mishra said the department would seek registration of conductors while issuing route permits for the buses. Thirty-five-year-old Sanichar Topo and his four-year-old daughter from Kijirikela police station area on Tuesday died coming under the rear wheel of the passenger bus after being pushed out of the vehicle for not paying the full amount towards bus fare.

“Though we had provision of issuing licence to bus conductors, it was not compulsory. But from hence forward, we will see to it that every conductor would have to be designated against a particular passenger bus,” Mr. Mishra said.

In normal circumstances, drivers and conductors flee the spot whenever an accident takes place. It is difficult on part of administration to make the bus owner accountable.

“We will prepare a strategy to streamline whole process of appointing staff of passenger buses. A bus owner cannot change a conductor at whims.

They will have to inform authorities about transfer of conductors so that accountability can be ensured,” he said.

Moreover, the department would take prompt action whenever reports of misbehaviour by conductors or any staff would be received, the Minister said. “Regional Transport officer or motor vehicle inspector could do a spot verification about the incident,” Mr. Mishra added.

Meanwhile, bail plea of the accused conductor had been rejected and he was remanded to judicial custody. The State government on its part announced a compassionate grant of Rs. 1 lakh for the victim from Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

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

Stories in this Section

Ekamra festival gets under way
PDS: officials stick to decision
Leopard cub rescued
Uma Bharti foresees split in BJP
Man robbed of Rs. 3 lakhs
Power project: public hearing cancelled
State moves to rein in staff of buses
Strike by lawyers will be viewed as bad in law: HC
Niyamgiri tribals’ plea to apex court

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu