Drivers of State-run buses on errands of covering long routes should be allowed to drive for four hours at a stretch in the mountainous parts during the night hours. State Director General of Police (DGP) BS Sidhu said, “In view of increasing accidents happening in the State, we are going to write to the State Government, explaining the thing we have mulled to stave off road mishaps.”
Observers, however, opined that the State Government may face difficulties to act on DGP’s suggestion, given Uttarakhand Transport Corporation keeps incurring losses and facing resource crunch. “Though the intention is good it would prove to be a pipe dream. It is not viable with UTC running into losses. It is most likely to hit against the rocks of hard reality, its financial unviability,” one of them said.
A data received from the PHQ revealed that there has been a spurt in road accident cases as compared to the last year in the State. Around 1210 road accidents were reported where 753 persons died and 1355 were seriously injured from January 1 to November 15, 2014 in various parts of the State. DGP Sidhu said that it has been observed that drivers tasked on covering long stretches remain on the wheels for around 10 to 14 hours at a stretch. This naturally leaves them exhausted. Things turn precarious when they take on the zigzags in the mountainous stretches. It is extremely tough to negotiate the hilly stretches under normal circumstances. We can easily imagine how tough it turns when a driver negotiates the treacherous hilly stretches after driving for around 10 hours,” he said.
In the recent accident that occurred in Almora wherein four persons, including a woman and a child, died and 30 others were injured when the bus they were travelling in fell into a gorge near Ranikhet in Almora district early on Sunday. It was ascribed to the exhaustion of the person on the wheels. “Taking lesson from the incident, we are going to write to the State Government, pinpointing the hazards and risks involved in the drivers being forced to drive for such long hours both through the plains and the hills,” he added.
Roadways Employees Joint Council general secretary Dinesh Pant welcomed DGP’s proposal, saying that earlier, two drivers were deployed on the state-run buses, covering long routes. “However, for the past few years, one driver is being deputed. This is what makes them doze off, turning such drives vulnerable to mishaps,” he added.
Statistics received from PHQ revealed that around 270 road accidents were reported from Dehradun district alone where 130 persons died and 248 were seriously injured. Around 320 road accidents were reported from Udham Singh Nagar where 198 persons died and 218 were seriously injured. Around 280 road accidents were reported from Haridwar district where 157 persons died and 232 were seriously injured. Around 170 road accidents were reported from Nainital where 82 persons died and 143 were seriously injured, it is learnt.