Even as fatal accidents continue to send shockwaves across Kerala, road safety remains on paper as the Kerala Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) finds it difficult to meet fuel bills for vehicles used for enforcement activities.
A letter sent by the Transport Commissioner to the Kerala Road Safety Commissioner on December 18 reveals that enforcement measures have stalled in Kerala. In the said letter, it is demanded to provide 30 lakh rupees immediately for fuel bill, insurance renewal and maintenance of vehicles of Road Safety Enforcement Branch.
No vehicles for 63 offices
According to MVD sources, 63 of the 85 regional transport offices in Kerala have no vehicles to carry out the enforcement measures. Night patrolling on the roads is now almost nil as the department has few vehicles available.
Mismanagement aggravated the situation. For example, 71 electric vehicles were hired for implementation as part of the Safe Kerala project and the state exchequer spent ₹8.5 crore as rent for this. Interestingly, the rental amount is more than the amount required to buy the vehicle. Now, the department is considering procuring motorcycles to meet the enforcement measures.
High fines
According to officials, the mere presence of MVD enforcement teams on the roads will deter errant vehicle users as fines levied by MVD for violating traffic rules are higher than those levied by police traffic enforcement teams.
Following the recent fatal accidents in Kerala, the police and MVD decided to conduct joint inspections at identified black spots on accident-prone roads. Enforcement vehicles are needed for this purpose, officials say.
According to them, lack of strict enforcement on roads is the main reason for accidents in Kerala. For example, 62.81 lakh complaints have been registered between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024, following the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered surveillance cameras to detect traffic violations. Similarly, 4,592 black spots have been identified. National Transport Planning and Research Center (NATPAC) in 2022, and 374 of them were placed on the priority list.
published – December 19, 2024 at 08:27 pm IST