With the Traffic Police choosing to look the other way, overloading in buses, mini buses and tempos goes on unchecked notwithstanding the fact that people have lost their lives in accidents across the State over the past months.
Rash driving, overloading, non seriousness and a totally casual approach towards the traffic norms are the reasons for accidents. Almost daily, there is news of an accident in the papers and we, just regret, feel bad for some time and then again resort to our routine activities.
Many a time we notice, such overloaded vehicles on the road but still ignore it. As a commuter, we need to take initiative and make these people learn that overloading is dangerous and can give fatal results.
Daily passengers risk their lives by travelling in these overloaded minibuses without even knowing whether they would reach safely to their destinations or not. Playing of high-pitch music by drivers, overcrowding and reckless driving have become a daily phenomenon.
One can see the real picture of these overloaded vehicles at Parade, Shalamar, Rehari Chungi, Jewel Chowk, Bikram Chowk, etc. Almost at every stop, one will find an overloaded minibus passing in front the traffic cops while these men in blue are hardly bothered about it.
Trivid Sharma, a resident of Rehari said, “Overcrowding is the major problem being faced by the passengers today. During peak hours, the minibuses are not only packed to capacity but many passengers hang outside which is extremely dangerous. The rat race among the matador drivers to pick up maximum passengers has many times led to serious tragedies, but neither the operators nor the enforcement agencies have ever learnt a lesson. There is a dire need for better regulation to make travelling on the roads terror free and safe.”
Nishant Khajuria, a resident of Channi Himmat area, remarked, “The private and mini bus operators always try to make good profit by resorting to overloading. Unfortunately, the policemen don’t take action against the violators as the latter had developed a nexus with them and they pay them Hafta (bribe) for illegal ferrying of more passengers than the seating capacity of their vehicles. They are hardly bothered about the life of passengers.”
Ragini Sharma, a college student shared, “I am now habitual of reading news of an accident in the papers daily. But one thing that comes to mind is that why we, the passengers board such vehicles in which the seats are already occupied. I strongly believe that it is high time that we, the youngsters should take some initiative as Traffic Police alone cannot do anything. There is a need to educate people about the traffic laws. It’s time for a change now and we have to make it possible because ultimately we, the passengers are the ones who are the victims of this rash driving.”
Malu Kerni
