Jamshedpur Sleeper Bus Safety Drive: 17 Buses Found Violating Norms

Jamshedpur: The East Singhbhum district transport department initiated a drive against sleeper buses that flout safety norms laid down by the Ministry of road transport and highways.The district transport officer (DTO), Dhananjay, said that 17 sleeper buses were found violating the safety regulations mandated by the govt for the safety of commuters. In the majority of the buses, emergency gates had been completely blocked with luggage and in some of them berths and gangway standards were not in compliance with the rules. Some buses lacked fire cylinders and safety hammers, while some had illegal carriers mounted on their roofs.The DTO said that notices were issued to the operators to make necessary modifications to the vehicles in accordance with the established provisions for the design and safety of the bus at the earliest or face penal action.“Bus owners have said that within 15 days they will modify the bus body as per the regulations,” the DTO said.He said that the checking was done as per the govt directions.The official said that all 17 sleeper buses were those that operated from the Inter State Bus Depot at Bhuyadih in Sakchi.

The random checking of the long-distance buses was launched on Saturday. The drive will intensify in the coming days, he said, adding that a joint team of the traffic police and the transport officials will conduct it.“Structural integrity, safety and passenger comfort are vital to the buses, and this has to be complied with by the operators mandatorily,” the DTO said.Over 70 sleeper buses operate from the city to adjoining states, including Bihar, Bengal, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, besides Visakhapatnam (AP) and different towns in Jharkhand.