The State Transport Department is moving ahead to realise the plans of installing speed governors in vehicles as stipulated by the Supreme Court and the Central Government.
Ideated to keep speeding vehicles from becoming harbingers of death for other commuters, the speed governors will limit the maximum speed for a vehicle at 80 km/h as per the AIS: 018/2001 Standard. These governors are to either to be installed by the manufacturer during the course of assembling the vehicle, or by its user after its purchase.
In a notification issued by the Department in this regard on Thursday, owners of vehicles registered prior to its publication have been commanded to have speed governors installed before April 1 in accordance to its provisions. It also specifies that new vehicles required having speed governors will not be registered by the office of District Transport Officer (DTO) unless they have speed governors conforming to the provisions of laid down in the notification.
“We have received a notification to ensure that speed governors are installed in vehicles running on the streets of Ranchi. Although, it is too early to tell, but we will ensure that we meet the deadline in this initiative,” said Ranchi DTO Nagendra Paswan.
Certain motor vehicles have also been exempted from the obligation of getting speed governors installed in them. Vehicles used for emergency services – namely police vehicles, ambulances and fire engines – do not need to have speed governors installed. Two-wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheeler cycles, cars seating eight and weighing 3,500 kilograms and vehicles certified by an authorised testing agency having maximum speed limit below 80 km/h are also off the hook in context of speed governors.
Meanwhile, heavy commercial vehicles used as tankers, dumpers or school buses, or used for shipping hazardous goods have been ordered to have speed governors capable of restricting them at 60 km/hr.
In order to check tampering with the speed governors, they will be equipped with an official seal of either State Transport Authority or Regional Transport Authority. Before one manipulates the governors, they will have to break these seals first, making it easier to identify a case of messing about.
To ensure supply of good quality speed governors, the Transport Department is planning to issue an advertisement to invite proposals from manufacturing agencies. Interested firms will have to acquire Type Approval Certificate from an authorised testing agency according to AIS: 018/2001.
“The advertisement will be out in a day or two, and tenders from firms certified by an authorised agency will be entertained. Before awarding the franchise to the selected agency, they will also undergo a training or orientation programme to educate them in the stipulated ways to install a speed governor as mentioned in the provisions,” said Parwaiz Ibrahimi, Deputy Secretary, Transport Department.