The BJP expressed deepest condolences to the families of Volvo Bus accident in which the lives of nearly 45 passengers are reported to have been lost on the National Highway-7 near Kothakota
BJP Senior leader Bandaru Dattatreya, in an open letter to the Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, said that in Andhra Pradesh, road accidents have become a regular feature where thousands of lives are lost and safety of passengers is left in the air. It is very unfortunate that the Transport Minister and the concerned department is not in the habit of conducting review meetings to take stock of the situation and to suggest measures to be taken to control such accidents
He said in another such a ghastly accident yesterday, which occurred on the outer ring
road at Vattinagulapally, the criminal negligence on the part of the Transport Department is clearly evident. After these two ghastly accidents, people are very much scared to travel on the roads on account of the laxity and negligent attitude on the part of the government with regard to the safety of the passengers travelling on the road.
BJP strongly expresses its strong protest, that apart from the negligence on the part of the private operators, the responsibility of State Government cannot be ignored. As the accident sites reveal, it is purely the rash and negligent driving habits of the private drivers which resulted in these unfortunate accidents since the highways are very wide and well maintained. Action should be initiated on the Private Transport Operator by suspending the licences of the erring drivers until enquiry is completed.
BJP strongly believes, it is the sheer unaccountability of the State Government machinery which led to these ghastly accidents. If State Government had the ability to set up a clear policy on Highway Regulation Policy and enforced it strictly with specific reference to the private operators, these accidents would have been avoided and several valuables lives would have been saved.
In view of the regular feature of road accidents, BJP demands clarity of the Government on the Highway Regulation Policy with specific reference to Private Transport Operators.
BJP demands that an ‘All Party Meeting’ be called immediately to discuss and formulate a comprehensive ‘Private People Transport Operator’ policy and initiate a mechanism to enforce and review the implementation of the same in its stricter terms.
The highways of this state have taken toll of thousands of lives and the State government should own the responsibility to ensure that this kind of accidents are drastically reduced.(NSS)
