Speed governor drama renacted

Speed governor drama renacted

Govt sets Sept 30 as deadline for installing it; truckers slam move, threaten to go on strike from Oct 2

By Sameer Ranjan Bakshi
Posted On Friday, September 19, 2008

The drama begins yet again. The plot is same and so are the characters. The new ‘artistes’ are: Transport minister R Ashok and transport commissioner Bhaskar Rao. Well, that’s the ‘speed governors’ story that is being re-run for the second time in the last nine months.

With the transport department setting Sept 30 as the deadline for installing speed governors (that restricts travel speed to 60 kmph) in all public transport vehicles, a debate on the proposed move has begun. While the transport department cites the Karnataka High Court order (dated June 30, 2008) while making it must for all public transport vehicles to install speed governors, transporters have slammed the move and have threatened to go on an indefinite stir from Oct 2.

The strike will only affect the common man as prices of essential commodities will skyrocket because of a shortfall in supply. The construction industry too will be hit hard as the sand transporting trucks will go off the roads.
Bangalore Mirror spoke to various sectors of society who would be the key players in this ‘drama’.

‘Plot against truckers’

“It is nothing but a ploy to harass truckers. Speed governors cannot be made mandatory only in Karnataka; it should be a nation-wide drive as trucks criss-cross the entire country. Just imagine our Karnataka trucks travelling at 60 kmph, while other trucks are allowed to travel without a cap on speed. It will cost us heavily. The government should focus on providing better roads than forcing us to spend Rs 15,000 on speed governors,” said Shanmugappa, president, Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners and Agents Association.

Currently, there are seven lakh lorries in the state. The state will lose crores of rupees as a result of the strike. Lorries coming into the state contain mostly foodgrains, manure, fertilisers, petrol, diesel, gas and vegetables. Around 20,000 to 25,000 lorries pass through Karnataka every day in order to enter the other states. “The move will allow transport department officials to harass these truckers,” Shanmugappa said.

‘Blow to tourism’

“It will affect tourism badly in the state as tourists prefer to travel by other modes of transport to reach their destination faster than the cabs that go at 60 kmph,” said Deepak Ramchandra, owner of Aadi Leisure Services on Richmond Road.
“The speed governor costs Rs 16,000. In Delhi, the same costs Rs 4,000. Why do we require expressways, NICE and ring roads when the government is limiting the speed of vehicles. Are the ring roads being built only for private cars, where they can overtake us,” he asked.

Cab operators contend that speed governors are detrimental to the engine and clutch plates. Will elite foreign customers boarding premium cars like to travel at a speed of 60 kmph on wide and desolated roads? they ask. With speed governors, the fifth gear - which is meant for speed and fuel efficiency - have to be dispensed with.

Mark Periera, CEO of Meru Cabs, said: “We are yet to receive any notification from the government. We are talking to Mahindra from whom we buy Renault Logan. But that will take a month or two because Mahindra will have to re-modify its engine and its software which are designed in France. We are giving equal importance to safety but instead of asking us to use governors, they could ask traffic cops to be more alert.”

Truckers off roads

In a meeting held on Thursday evening, it was decided that trucks carrying building materials will go off the road from Sept 20 midnight, said B V Narayanappa, secretary, Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners and Agents Association.

Construction to suffer

Zaffer Seth, general manager (marketing), Prestige Group, said: “In the past, we suffered a lot because of the strike called by truckers. Materials like sand, cement and steel are required on a daily basis. If they call a strike for an indefinite period, then that is bound to affect construction activity.”

No mood to relax

The authorities are in no mood to relax the deadline. The government does not want to create a situation where it is seen as going against the high court’s order. It was the order of the high court that has mandated the installation of speed governors in commercial vehicles. Transport minister R Ashok has stated that he has written to the Centre to evolve an uniform law for use of speed governors on vehicles. He has stated that since thousands of trucks from other states enter Karnataka, the mandatory law here creates a strange situation.

With Sharan Poovanna