Journalism of Courage
To prevent mishaps involving its buses,the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has decided to install a safety emergency switch in 12 of its buses on a trial basis over the next 15 days.
The switch will be used only in case of a crisis and will be installed in five buses from Swargate depot and five from Parel depot in Mumbai. These switches will also be installed in two of MSRTCs buses used for training in Mumbai and Pune. The emergency switch,within a glass container,will be located near the conductors seat. It is to be used only in case of a real emergency,such as the driver speeding and not paying heed to passengers and conductor, said Mukund Dhus,a spokesperson for MSRTC.
The conductor has to break the glass and press the switch,which will stop the driver from accelerating and bring the bus gradually to a halt, he said.
The installation of a safety switch was recommended by Pramod Wankhede,chief of engineering at VJTI,who was part of a 13-member technical committee. The committee was formed after Januarys incident when an MSRTC driver hijacked a bus from the Swargate depot and sped for 45 minutes,killing several people.
Meanwhile,the MSRTC has also conducted medical tests of all its drivers. The drivers diagnosed with ailments will have to undergo a medical check-up once every three months,the cost of which the transport utility will bear.
We will conduct medical tests of all drivers every two years. The next round of medical check-ups would be conducted in March 2014, Dhus said.
