Come New Year, vehicles sans speed governors to go off road

Rajesh Sharma

UNA, OCTOBER 26

All commercial vehicles plying in the state will have speed-governing devices to control the increasing accident rate.

As per State Transport Department notification, the vehicles defying the orders will not be allowed to ply after December. It is learnt that the scheme is being implemented in Goa and Delhi, besides some southern states.

As per the notification, commercial vehicles have been divided into two categories. Vehicles carrying hazardous goods, dumpers, tankers and school buses will be fitted with devices that will limit their maximum speed to 60 kilometre per hour, while other commercial vehicles with seating capacity of 8 persons, besides the driver seat, and having gross weight of over 3,500 kg will be fitted with devices, limiting their maximum speed to 80 kilometre per hour.

Information obtained from the Una Regional Transport Office reveals that stage carrier buses, contract carriage vehicles, omni buses, tourist vehicles, goods vehicles except three-wheelers have been grouped into the 80 km speed limit category. The vehicles exempted include ambulances, police vehicles, fire tenders, quadricycles, three and two wheelers. The devices, which are of varying types on the basis of the fuel being used, will be fitted into the fuel injector and engine chambers to govern the fuel intake.

Transport Minister GS Bali said the notification had been issued. Earnest efforts are being made by department officers to implement the programme. He, however, said since the number of vehicles without the speed-governing devices running on the roads was voluminous, the implementation could take some time. He added that the State Transport Department was committed to minimising the loss of human life in road accidents and such devices would certainly help in these efforts.