Need to set guidelines for manufacturers: Vikhe-Patil Expressing concern over the rise in accidents caused by tyre-bursts on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway,state Transport Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil today put the blame on tyre manufacturers. He said,It is time to keep a check on quality of tyres manufactured by multinationals. The minister,who inaugurated a workshop on road safety at the Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT) in Bhosari,said there was a need to set guidelines for tyre companies to follow. While on the one hand,the Pune-Mumbai Expressway is praised by people,the number of accidents is on the rise. There is a marked rise in accidents owing to bursting of tyres. There is no system to keep a check on quality of tyres. The tyres burst because good quality tyres were not manufactured. Since India is a big market for them,multinational tyre manufacturers are coming to India. Hence,there is a need to set some guidelines for these companies, Vikhe-Patil said. After an accident,no post-mortem of vehicles involved is done. To ascertain the cause of the accident,dissecting vehicles is necessary to understand the cause, he remarked. He said that in September the Regional Transport Authority (RTA),which has the authority of taking decisions on the transport related issues,will be replaced with the District Transport Authority (DTA). The state government had already issued orders to this effect on August 11. We have issued a government regulation about formation of DTAs. That order was issued on August 11. The reason behind the decision is to bring about uniformity in transport authorities. The decision will come into effect from September 1, he said. Even though the divisional commissioner heads the RTA,the DTA would be chaired by the district collector. Apart from the collector,there would be three other members,including the police commissioner or superintendent of police,the Regional Transport Officer (RTO) and a non-government member. The minister also inaugurated a toll-free number for citizens to register complaints against services of various modes of transport like buses,taxis,autorickshaws,as well as against the RTOs. The number is 18002330012.
