Speed Governors Mandatory for Goods Vehicles: Udupi DC Swaroopa T.K.
Udupi: Deputy Commissioner Swaroopa T.K. has directed officials to ensure the mandatory installation of speed governors limiting the speed of all goods vehicles to 60 kmph in a bid to enhance road safety and ensure smooth traffic movement. She also stressed the importance of scientifically maintaining roads to facilitate safe travel for all road users.
She chaired the District Road Safety Committee meeting at the District Collectorate Conference Hall at Rajathadri, Manipal, on Monday, June 29.
The Deputy Commissioner instructed officials to ensure that all goods vehicles with six wheels and above operating in the district are fitted with speed governors. She pointed out that ready-mix concrete vehicles carrying overloaded material often spill concrete onto roads, damaging road surfaces, while overloaded sand-laden vehicles also contribute to road deterioration and increase the risk of accidents. She directed Regional Transport Office (RTO) officials to intensify enforcement and ensure the effective implementation of these measures.
Swaroopa T.K. said strict adherence to road safety regulations by motorists is essential to prevent accidents. She urged drivers to avoid rash, negligent, and overspeed driving and to comply with all traffic rules without exception.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the incomplete implementation of the earlier directive to install doors in all government and private buses, she instructed transport authorities to submit, within two weeks, details of the total number of buses operating in the district, the number fitted with doors, those yet to comply, and the action taken against violators. She further directed that fitness certificates should be renewed only for buses that comply with the door installation requirement.
The Deputy Commissioner also instructed officials to prioritise road safety measures around schools and colleges, including the installation of signboards, speed breakers, barricades, zebra crossings, and other essential safety infrastructure. She said departments should take independent decisions and implement road safety measures without delay.
She also noted that passengers often throw litter, including plastic bottles, from buses, adversely affecting public cleanliness. Although directions had earlier been issued to install dustbins inside buses, implementation has remained unsatisfactory. She asked Regional Transport Officers to take immediate steps to enforce the directive.
Referring to accident-prone locations, Swaroopa T.K. said safety measures had already been implemented at 18 identified black spots on national highways in the district and instructed officials to complete additional safety improvements at the remaining vulnerable locations at the earliest.
She also directed the Municipal Commissioner to prohibit vehicle parking in congested urban areas and remove unauthorised roadside kiosks, fast-food stalls, and pushcarts obstructing traffic. At the same time, she suggested identifying adequate vending zones to provide alternative arrangements for street vendors.
The Deputy Commissioner further instructed officials to initiate action against buses that pick up or drop off passengers outside designated bus stands. She also said that before creating additional median openings on national highways, officials from the National Highways Authority and the Police Department should conduct joint inspections and approve such proposals strictly based on necessity and prescribed norms.
Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar, Municipal Commissioner Mahantesh Hangaragi, Public Works Department Executive Engineer Kiran S., National Highways Authority Project Director Abdullah Mohammed Azmi, engineers, and other district-level officials were present at the meeting.