Latest news with #MotorVehiclesdepartment
The Hindu
07-07-2025
- The Hindu
Collector bans off-road MUV safari in Idukki
District Collector V. Vigneshwari on Sunday imposed a ban on multi-utility vehicle (MUV) safari in Idukki under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. According to officials, the Collector imposed the ban following an MUV accident in Munnar recently in which a tourist was killed and 10 were injured. The order stated that the recent event had brought to light the urgent need for regulating vehicular tourism in areas characterised by hilly terrain, narrow and winding roads, steep gradients, and prone to landslides. The operation of such services without official oversight exposes passengers to grave risk, said the order. Lack fitness certificates It further stated that vehicles conducting safaris often lack valid fitness certificates. Most often the vehicles are modified ones which are poorly maintained. Drivers with unverified qualifications, lacking formal training or licensing specific to high-risk terrain and tourist operations are used to conduct services. Lack of uniform safety standards, standard operating procedures, passenger insurance or accountability in the event of accidents are other issues. Noise and ecological disturbance lead to degradation of fragile mountain environments. The services pose serious public safety risks and undermine disaster readiness, according to the order. The Collector further said that to ensure supervision by the district administration, all safari vehicles, including individual, institutional, off-road, and ecotourism safaris, are banned in the district with immediate effect. 'Collect details' To ensure a proper facility, the local bodies are directed to collect the details of the safari vehicles, drivers, and routes under their jurisdiction. A committee comprising representatives from the panchayats, police, Motor Vehicles department (MVD), District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), and the Revenue and Forest departments will examine the details under the supervision of the respective Subcollectors. The list of vehicles and routes should be submitted to the district administration on July 10. Based on the verification, the off-road MUV safari will be resumed with proper guidance, said the Collector. Kolukkumala According to officials, the ban on off-road MUVs did not impact the Kolukkumala off-road vehicle safari. The authorities have already completed safety inspections of the off-road safari vehicles in Kolukkumala. Last week, the MVD completed the inspection of 210 off-road vehicles used for off-road safaris in Kolukkumala. Meanwhile, drivers of MUV vehicles staged protests in various parts of the district on Monday against the sudden ban. They claimed that thousands of people depended on the income from off-road vehicle safaris.
The Hindu
28-06-2025
- The Hindu
Case of accident while offloading car turns legally complicated
The incident in which a premium car ran over a man while being offloaded from a trailer near the vehicle dealer's yard at Chalikkavattom here on June 22, 2025, has become legally complicated, even as it has been confirmed that human error and not machine defect caused the accident. The deceased was identified as Roshan Antony Xavier, 36, of Pandikudi in Mattancherry. Anshad, who was engaged to offload the vehicles from the trailer, was booked by the Palarivattom police for causing death by negligence and endangering life or personal safety through rash or negligent behaviour. The deceased, standing on the ramp of the trailer, was knocked by the vehicle, which was being driven out in reverse. The car also knocked down a few electric posts in the area before coming to a halt. The Motor Vehicles department (MVD) along with the city police on Thursday (June 26, 2025) conducted a test whereby the car involved in the accident was driven by an authorised driver of the dealer concerned to rule out machine defect. In fact, it was found that if repaired, it could be made road fit. Later, the accused in the case, who was summoned, could not satisfactorily explain the functionalities of the same model vehicle, substantiating the police charge of rash and negligent driving. 'The vehicle entailed only a marine cargo insurance, which is valid only till it is offloaded. Besides, a vehicle on the road should be covered by a trade certificate, temporary registration or permanent registration. The vehicle involved in the accident had none of these, making it a very legally complicated case,' said MVD sources. The vehicle only has Form 22, which is referred to as the vehicle's 'birth certificate.' It is only once the vehicle is inspected on being offloaded and an inspection certificate is drawn up does the vehicle gets added to the database of the manufacturing company. In this case, the accident took place even before the vehicle could be inspected. As things stand, the MVD has only initiated measures to suspend the driving licence of the accused. 'This is a very complicated case, and we need to explore how to take this forward. A report will be given to the police shortly,' said MVD sources.
The Hindu
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Hindu
Fitness certificates issued to nearly 200 school buses in Kozhikode city
The Motor Vehicles department (MVD) has completed the fitness check of 190 school buses in Kozhikode city limits ahead of the reopening of schools. Fitness certificates were rejected for around 20 vehicles which were not found fitted with Geographical Positioning System (GPS) under the fresh safety guidelines. MVD officials said the certificates were granted only after inspecting several factors including the condition of seating, tyres, speed governors, and emergency exits. Re-inspection of the buses that were not given fitness certificates would be held on Saturday, they added. The fitness check was launched in Kozhikode district after offering a one-day mandatory training session for all educational institution vehicle drivers. Instructions had already been issued to school managements about the training session and the decision to keep untrained drivers away from the job in the new academic year. MVD officials said the directive to fix surveillance cameras in school buses would be implemented from September. School managements would be given time till the last week of August to make the necessary arrangements as per the order issued by Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar. Appointment of door attenders, emergency firefighting equipment and a register carrying the details of all travellers would be made mandatory from the new academic year. All schools would be responsible for appointing a teacher separately to take care of the school bus services and the related safety issues. Police sources said inspections to track speed limit violations and footboard journeys, and violation of the permitted seating capacity would be intensified to enforce safety norms. Combined flash inspections with the support of MVD squads would be carried out in all parts of the district, they added.
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Hindu
Students' safety: MVD, police to put in place stringent norms for drivers
To enhance the safety of students travelling in educational institution buses, the Motor Vehicles department (MVD) and the police have decided to put in place stringent norms for school bus drivers in Kozhikode. Only those who complete the one-day training programme of the MVD on safe driving, which was officially launched here on Wednesday, will be permitted to drive educational institution vehicles from the next academic year. Drivers who undergo training will be issued a certificate, which has to be shown to enforcement squads during flash vehicle checks as part of heightened safety measures. Training will be given after verification of the licence. Police clearance certificates will also be made mandatory in case the drivers have a history of involvement in traffic rule violations. According to MVD officials, the fitness check of educational institution vehicles, a mandatory exercise carried out every year, will be completed by the end of May. Automated facilities will also be used to complete the process. By August, CCTV cameras will also be made mandatory for all educational institution vehicles, they said. Traffic police officials said the fitness check was expected to cover over 1,000 school buses in Kozhikode city alone. They made it clear that safety norms would be equally applicable to drivers working for private coaching centres. For vehicles other than school buses, the stickers issued after police checking will be mandatory to operate pick-and-drop services. Mobile enforcement squads of the police and the MVD will jointly conduct checking to expose safety rule violations, they affirmed. Meanwhile, the proposal to enable the GPS tracking system in school buses is still hanging in the balance due to the alleged lack of cooperation on the part of various school managements. Now, the GPS system is functional only in very few private institution buses in Kozhikode. The MVD's Vidhya Vahan mobile application designed for the purpose also remain underutilised. Similarly, the launch of radio frequency identification and detection (RFID) cards for students, which was planned several years ago to track the entry and exit of students in school buses, has also not been implemented. Sources in the MVD and the police said technical issues related to the setting up of an exclusive server continued to be a major hurdle to its implementation.
The Hindu
14-05-2025
- The Hindu
Elaborate arrangements for school reopening in Kerala
The General Education department is making elaborate arrangements for the reopening of schools in Kerala on June 2 with focus on school and student safety, Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty has said. At a press conference here on Wednesday, the Minister said fitness certificate for school buildings from the local self-government concerned was mandatory. School premises should be cleaned up with the support of parent-teacher associations, local self-government institutions, voluntary organisations or alumni to ensure safety and avoid any hazardous or risky situations. Schools should also ensure that their environment is conducive to studies by making them attractive. Travel safety Schools should ensure that students can travel safely from home to school and back. They should review precautions to ensure student safety when the children take public transport, school bus, or use private vehicles or water transport for travel, or cross road or railway lines. The Minister said strict action would be taken if private buses did not allow students to board or did not halt at bus stops. Buses should stop for stipulated times at bus stops so that students get adequate time to board or get off the vehicles. If students were found travelling on footboard of buses, it should be brought to the attention of the authorities and action should be taken. The guidelines of the Motor Vehicles department on the maximum number of students allowed on school buses and the fitness of the vehicle should be observed strictly. Steps should also be taken to hold discussions with authorities or associations concerned to ensure guidelines for safe travel on autorickshaws, taxis, vans, and private buses were being followed. Behaviour of employees on buses used by students should be analysed and police clearance certificate taken for them. Authorities should ensure curbs on heavy vehicles, especially goods vehicles, during the students' commuting time. The Minister said classes on substance abuse, vehicle use, preventing violence, personal hygiene, clean surroundings, lack of emotional control, damaging public property, legal awareness, health check-ups, mobile phone addiction, and social media addiction would be taken for two weeks from June 2 and for one week from July 18. Mental health training A four-day training would be held for Souhruda club coordinators in 1,680 government and aided higher secondary schools to improve students' mental health. Directions have been given to improve mentoring in schools, maintain constant contact with students, and maintain a diary on it. Inauguration of awareness programme against suicides and a programme on exam fear would be launched at the State-level Pravesanolsavam in Alappuzha. Hygiene of school kitchens and equipment and utensils used there should be ensured. It should be ensured that grains whose expiry period is over and other such provisions were not used. Health cards for cooking staff were a must. Midday meals should be given the day schools reopened, the Minister said.
