Kochi : The high court has warned top state officials that delays in implementing court-ordered road safety measures, including setting up a technology-driven Integrated Road Safety Monitoring Platform for real-time monitoring, will not be tolerated.
A bench of Justices V Raja Vijayaraghavan and K V Jayakumar, in its Oct 15 order, directed the chief secretary, the nodal authority for coordinating and monitoring compliance with its Sept 24 order on road safety, to ensure effective coordination among the departments and agencies concerned without taking over their statutory functions. In its Sept 24 order, the court issued a set of road safety guidelines with deadlines ranging from 15 days to six months. Regarding the scheduling of private bus operations, it directed the transport commissioner to convene a meeting with stakeholders within 60 days. Within 90 days, the department must prescribe profiling parameters, thresholds for automatic review, procedures for counselling and training, and measures against repeat offenders, vehicle owners and permit holders. The court will consider the petition on Nov 3.
The existence of multiple authorities cannot be a ground for deferring action or shifting responsibility from one department to another, the court warned while considering a suo motu petition on road safety in the state. The court directed the respondents, including the secretaries of transport, PWD, home and health, the state police chief, NHAI and KSEB, to obtain necessary instructions and be ready to report on the specific measures taken, the officers responsible and the timelines for completion. The court also directed that public transport vehicles should not be allowed to change lanes abruptly or overtake. It further ordered the establishment of a centralised, state-wide driver profiling system covering public transport and heavy vehicle drivers.