Unfit vehicles rushing in!
Yet again a debacle
Apparently, the drive against old and unfit vehicles has come nowhere near achieving its target. The ramshackle buses and minibuses, identified as a threat to safety of commuters, have returned to the city roads taking advantage of the glaring flaws in the enforcement of law. Out of the 16 mobile courts that went into operation on July 15, with the objective of driving out the dangerous vehicles, only eight are now working as the law enforcers are facing an acute shortage of manpower and logistical support. Furthermore, the drive is being conducted on only four days a week. So, there is ample room for the old vehicles to start operating again, particularly during nighttime when law enforcers are not seen on the roads.
There can indeed be no better example of enforcement failure than this much-vaunted drive against unfit vehicles. It is now clear that the transport owners enjoy some kind of clout, which enables them to run the worn-out vehicles which are a big hazard to commuters. Accidents take place on a regular basis as the buses and minibuses flout all traffic rules and create a sense of great insecurity among the commuters.
The government's plan of banishing the unfit vehicles was long overdue. But it certainly required a law enforcement system capable of overcoming the stiff resistance of a rather powerful and devious quarters. The drive was going on reasonably well in the first few days, but it has clearly lost steam down the road making it rather easy for the unfit vehicles to stage a comeback. The dilapidated vehicles went out of the city to undergo some renovation work and were back in business as soon as the grip of the law was slackened.
It seems the BRTA has no real control over the situation. It has failed to do anything against forged or fake driving licences. This adds considerably to the traffic mess in the city.
The drive against unfit vehicles was launched quite a few times in the past and by this time such vehicles should have been a thing of the past. But things are not improving and one gets the impression that the drive is nothing better than an occasional raid that has more bark than bite.
When the authorities decided that the unsafe and unfit vehicles would have to call it a day, they should have been ready with an enforcement mechanism. It is no use telling that they do not have the wherewithal to stop the ejected vehicles now rushing in from all sides. Realistically, as we have suggested before, these should be progressively phased out with a replacement plan implemented simultaneously to cater for the required public mobility.
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