Dehradun: Following the Almora bus accident which claimed 36 lives, Uttarakhand police will launch a special campaign across the state to put a check on “overloading”, besides crackdown on those who drink and drive.
Both the factors – the overloading and drunk driving- continue to remain a major challenge for the Uttarakhand police as well as the transport department in the hill areas.
Police will assess the road accidents which occurred in the last three years
Uttarakhand DGP Abhinav Kumar told reporters that strict steps are being taken by Uttarakhand police to ensure that such incidents do not recur. First, police will assess all accidents which occurred in the last three years in different parts of the state, DGP Abhinav further said.
The overloaded buses generally lose balance on sharp turns in the hill areas
In the hill districts, there are several factors which lead to the road accident and one among them is overloading. Drivers carry passengers in the buses more than the fixed passenger capacity of the vehicles concerned. Every vehicle has the rated passenger load assigned to the vehicle by the manufacturer. In case of “overloading”, the bus generally loses balance on sharp turns in the hill areas. Such buses remain under threat of falling into gorge in the hill areas.
Police face a major challenge to trace such drivers who drive long distance without taking proper rest
In the proposed special campaign, another challenge for the police is to trace such drivers who drive long distances without taking proper rest in the hill areas. Due to this, there is a possibility of falling asleep. Besides this, there are drivers who drink and drive in the hills.
The campaign aims to ensure actions against all those who violate the laws
Keeping in mind these factors, the Uttarakhand police have decided to launch its special campaign in coordination with the transport department. The campaign aims to ensure actions against all those who violate the law.
DGP sought details about accident-prone areas from the SSPs/SPs of all districts
In the meantime, the DGP Abhinav also held a video-conferencing meeting with the SSPs/SPs of all districts. He has asked them to issue instructions regarding traffic and road safety in their districts concerned. He has also directed them to prepare a report about the accident-prone areas in the areas concerned. The SSPs/SPs are also supposed to provide details about remedial measures required to improve the situation in the accident-prone areas.
