PTI – An organisation of private bus and minibus operators have said it will not be possible on their part to install vehicle-tracking devices with emergency buttons by March this year as asked by state transport department and urged the government to reconsider it.
An organisation of private bus and minibus operators have said it will not be possible on their part to install vehicle-tracking devices with emergency buttons by March this year as asked by state transport department and urged the government to reconsider it. General Secretary of West Bengal Bus and Minibus Owners Association Pradip Narayan Bose told reporters Wednesday that buses and minibuses ply along a fixed route in the city and surrounding areas covering a distance of around 30 km maximum and are under strict surveillance of Kolkata Traffic Police and cops in adjacent commissionerate areas. Hence buses do not require a tracking device.
A state transport official said the expense for fitting such devices will have to be borne by the concerned vehicle owner and the department will not reconsider the decision.
In its letter to the department sent three days back, the association further maintained, “Moreover as every route has a starter, each sitting at two terminal points, and a third one sitting in the middle along many route. Hence fitting another tracker and panic button will be redundant for a stage carriage like a bus.
“Moreover notification has been issued only for buses and minibuses and not for other passenger vehicles like e-rickshaws, bike taxis which don’t have either a specific route or lack route permits,” he said, wondering why trackers and panic buttons have been made mandatory for buses only.
“On behalf of the operators, we appeal to the state government not to implement the notification and if it is mandatory, request you to arrange for the tracking device and panic button for the vehicles and bear all expenses related to its installation,” the association said.
The West Bengal government has been working on the plan to install vehicle-tracking devices with emergency buttons for some time and March 2023 has been set as deadline set for fitting such devices for stage carriages like buses.
The transport official said as per earlier notification issued by the department buses, minibuses and taxis registered till 2018 must have location-tracking devices fitted on them by March 2023 otherwise their permits and cf (certificate of fitness) will not be renewed.
Vehicles registered in 2019 or later must have these devices installed immediately or will face similar situations.
The vehicle tracking system allows keeping tab on vehicles on desktop computer, laptop, tab or android phone with the help of satellite and monitor movement of vehicles and where they are parked.
“It is very important on several counts. It will ensure safety of passengers including women. It will also ensure safety of bus employees and prevent any possible incident of crime on board a moving vehicle,” he added.
After the gruesome Nirbhaya incident in 2016, the Centre had said under ‘Nirbhaya framework’ it will be mandatory for all “public service vehicles” to have location-tracking devices and emergency buttons from April 2018.
Last year, the West Bengal government had fixed July 2022 deadline for rolling out the same but it did not happen as control rooms could not be made ready in transport department offices across the state.
Bose said of the 6,600 private buses plying in the city, over 2,200 are on fleet now.
All over the state 44,000 carriages (private buses and minibuses) were plying before the pandemic struck but the number has come down to 27,000.
“As the industry has turned sick, it is not possible for a bus operator to fit these devices on his own, which is also not necessary as we ply on a fixed route and there are CCTV cameras along most stretches,” he reiterated.
