Date:07/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/07/stories/2008020754280500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Court to truckers: we gave you six months, what were you doing?

Staff Reporter

Judges frown on delay in fitting speed governors to old vehicles

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday orally indicated that it would not grant further extension of time for fitting speed governors to old vehicles.

A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice B.S. Patil, was dealing with a public interest litigation petition by a resident of Bangalore seeking stay of a recent notification by the Transport Department extending the time till April 2008 for installing speed governors in old vehicles.

The court initially allowed impleading interlocutory applications by the Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Federation and the Association of Karnataka Lorry Owners.

It also ordered issue of notices to the Union Ministry of Surface Transport, saying that it may have to issue certain directions to the Union Government too on installing speed governors in transport vehicles.

Appearing for the truck owners, senior counsel Jayakumar Patil said it would be difficult to ensure that lorries and trucks from other States were fitted with speed governors.

The Chief Justice retorted saying the earlier concession given by the High Court extending time for vehicles to install speed governors was not appreciated either by the Government or the truckers. The truckers had six months’ time yet they did nothing, he said.

Advocate-General B.V. Acharya, appearing for the State, said the owners of some categories of transport vehicles had complained that speed governors could not be fitted to their vehicles due to technical reasons.

He said such complaints had been sent to experts as the State wanted to know whether the reasons were genuine or just an excuse to avoid installing speed governors.

The Bench then adjourned the petiton to Tuesday for further hearing.