Calcutta: The Bengali Ministry of Transport will not renew the Certificate of Fitness (CF) for any public vehicle, including buses and taxis, without a certificate of objection from the police.
Kolkata police called on the state to require NoC police to issue CF after a private bus mowed down a 25-year-old biker on Bagha Jatin RoB Saturday morning. The transport department has approved the proposal. Around 500 traffic violations have been initiated against the killer bus that runs on the Garia-Bagbazar route, a fifth of which are pending in court.
“We had suggested that all public vehicles should get a clearance clearance from Lalbazar of their pending litigation before receiving the CF and pollution certificates from the RTOs. This will prevent any vehicle from getting on the road with a large number of pending cases. Our data shows fines close to Rs 16 crore and cases pending with haulage owners since 2016-17, ”said a senior traffic policeman.
A state official said, “We received the proposal and approved it. The Police NoC will be mandatory prior to the issuance of CFs or during their annual renewal. ”However, it is not yet known when this standard will be implemented.
The death of the engineer Subhajit Sur on Saturday at EM Bypass by the bus, against which around 492 traffic lawsuits have been pending over the past five years, has raised questions about how the bus managed to move on the road. So many of 347 of these cases are pending before the lower courts. Sur, the only deserving family member and a red volunteer, had played an important role in helping alleviate Covid patients in and around Garia earlier this year.
More serious allegations surfaced Sunday against the bus (WB07J2826) involved in Sur’s death on Saturday. A social media group claimed with photos that the bus originally ran on line 203 and during its mandatory fitness test at the RTO the bus was painted in blue and yellow – that was mandatory for the test – and switched to the other route on bypass. The fatal squad of traffic police has summoned the owner of the bus.
Police officers have also proposed joint checks by police officers and traffic officials to ensure buses are running according to their permits.
