BMTC in safety cul-de-sac

BMTC in safety cul-de-sac
Bengaluru,







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Narrow roads, haphazard traffic and crowded buses could be a recipe for people getting hurt either when crossing the roads or while driving.

They are lucky most of the time to get away with neither in the city despite its poor traffic conditions. But BMTC buses, where passengers jostle for space and think nothing of jumping off or climbing on while they are still running, seem to take it for granted that nothing of the sort is ever likely to happen.

Many of the buses ignore the Karnataka Motor Vehicles Act which makes it mandatory for a conductor in a stage carriage to ensure that “the first aidbox contains all the articles prescribed”. Get on board most of the BMTC buses and you may be lucky to come across a well equipped first aid box. But this lack of concern is only for the common man. The more upmarket Volvo buses are suitably kitted. “We keep changing the medicines of the safety kits in Volvo buses on a weekly basis. They are properly maintained as the crowd on Volvo buses is more sophisticated and the staff is well trained,” say BMTC officials.

“The transport committee recently suggested keeping the safety kit beneath the driver’s seat to prevent it from being damaged or misused. But the idea was dropped as it was decided that everyone should have easy access to the kit,” the officials explain.

But while so much thought has gone into where the kit should be located, ordinary BMTC buses run with first-aid boxes that are usually empty. They are supposed to be stocked with cotton, dettol, band-aid, balm and tinctures and placed behind the driver’s seat. “All buses are required to carry these safety kits. When they are new and undergo a fitness inspection by the RTO authorities they do have them,” says a senior officer. However, BMTC chief mechanical engineer B. Mukkanna says the ointments and band-aids are often stolen from the boxes by the passengers or by the drivers and conductors themselves. He is, however, nonchalant about it, maintaining that it is rare for BMTC buses to need any kind of first aid kit.

Members of the All India Rail and Bus Passengers’ Association, however, point out there have been several instances of passengers cutting their fingers against sharp edges, falling down while climbing a raised footboard or getting hurt when the drivers applies sudden brakes.

“Several old passengers get sick or faint in buses. A first aid box is essential in such situations,” a member contends. Says a member of the Indian Red Cross Society, “A first-aid box is essential for emergency preparedness. Because these buses are crowded and the drivers are rash, there is every reason to have them.” BMTC does not pay a great deal of attention to keeping the first aid box in buses as they are misused by the conductors and passengers, admits a senior BMTC official. The idea seems to be: Better be sorry later than be prepared.