A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against the overloading of buses. In the petition, overloading has been made the basis for the threat to the lives of people. Also, due to the transportation of goods in buses, the government has also been cited for the loss of revenue.
Illegal transportation on the roof of buses
Advocate Sangam Lal Pandey said that he is demanding compliance with the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. Overweight is being carried out in unruly passenger buses all over the country. In buses, business goods are also being kept beyond the rules fixed to keep the goods of the passengers. For this, career is applied on the roofs.
Life is a threat to life Putting goods on the roof also increases the height of the bus. The bus remains unbalanced due to overweight and height. Overloading has been causing many major accidents. The National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) states that every year thousands of people go due to overloading of bus.
revenue and environmental loss
petition states that most of the business goods carried in buses are without proper GST bill. The 2024 CAG report states that the loss of revenue to the government can be around Rs 500 crore. The petitioner has also mentioned pollution from overweight buses. He has cited the report of IIT Delhi released in 2022 about this. According to the report, overload buses consume 15 to 20 percent more of fuel per kilometer and emit more carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter.
The system of weight checking
petitioner has said that only 5 percent of the state governments have a system of measuring the weight of buses in the bus depots. Once you get out on the road, the weight of the bus is never checked. The petition has demanded that the court should stop carrying the goods by putting a career on the buses by asking to make a system of checking the weight of buses even during every bus stand and travel.
Duties of Survival Sarkar
In addition to the incident of bus overturning in Almora, Uttarakhand, the petitioner has mentioned bus accidents in UP and Maharashtra. He has also cited many old decisions of the Supreme Court, which takes necessary steps to protect people’s lives.