Get fitness certificates for buses, scrap old vehicles, Karnataka HC tells KSRTC
The Dharwad bench of the Karnataka High Court also said that the KSRTC’s mechanical department should certify every bus as ‘fit for road’ and only buses with such certificates should be permitted to ply on roads.
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The Dharwad bench of the Karnataka High Court also said that the KSRTC’s mechanical department should certify every bus as ‘fit for road’. (Representational image via Facebook/KSRTC)The Dharwad bench of the Karnataka High Court has directed that the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) should obtain fitness certificates for its vehicles from the relevant Regional Transport Office (RTO) and buses that have crossed the prescribed mileage ought to be scrapped.
The directions were made in the course of an order that upheld a driver’s conviction under culpable homicide charges in a 2007 accident that killed two children. The order was passed on December 21 by Justice Ramachandra Huddar.
”In this case, the said offending bus had already run more than 10,00,000 km and the vehicle was not having ignition starter, horn and brakes. The passengers, who were travelling in the said bus were compelled to push the said bus to get it started. The condition of the bus which is brought on record is quite alarming,” the bench noted.
Directing KSRTC to provide better quality buses, the bench said, ”As per the rules framed by the KSRTC on completion of particular running of kilometres and such buses are bound to be scrapped and such scrapped buses should not be permitted to be used for any scheduled routes either to the cities or to villages.”
In other guidelines, the high court said that the KSRTC’s mechanical department should certify every bus is “fit for road”, and only such buses with the certificate should be permitted to ply on roads. Periodic mechanical checks and repairs were also directed.
While upholding the conviction, the accused’s sentence was reduced to six months from one year. The bench observed that aside from knowing the condition of the bus, he could have refused to take it as he was responsible for the safety of bus passengers and road users, despite any threat by superior officers to his job.
(With inputs from PTI)
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