"Irregularities" in installation of speed governors: Expert

A member of the National Road Safety Council has alleged irregularities in installation of speed governors in commercial vehicles in Maharashtra.
Kamal Soi has said the state transport ministry has allowed only a handful of companies to install the road speed limiting devices in heavy vehicles.
These companies were selected without any tendering or rigorous process, he said.
"The installation of speed governors in commercial vehicles has opened a floodgate of corruption," Soi said at a press conference here last evening.
The Council is an advisory body under the ministry of road transport and highways and is mandated to provide inputs on improving road safety.

Soi, an expert on road safety, demanded a probe into the matter.

"Last year, I met transport minister and officials and requested them to look into the irregularities in the business of fitting speed governors in commercial vehicles. Even this month, I wrote a letter to them but they have not addressed the concerns raised by the Council."
"I requested the state government to install speed governors through tendering or short-listing process like the other states do.
"But I am sorry to say that unscrupulous elements and unapproved (device) manufacturers are involved in this Rs 20,000-crore business and they are playing with the lives of common people," Soi said.

Citing NCRB's figures, he said in 2015 Maharashtra witnessed 63,805 road accidents that took 13,212 lives and caused injuries to 39,606 people. Over-speeding commercial vehicles were involved in over 45 per cent of the accidents and these can be curbed by fitting the devices.
He called for strict implementation of the Supreme Court guidelines on curbing road accidents. Installing speed governors in public transport vehicles is one of them.