Several Matadors and minibuses have gone off road in the past over a week, courtesy strict measures by new Inspector General of Police, Traffic, Basant Rath.
Hundreds of vehicles are either standing idle at their owners’ places or are undergoing servicing at various workshops in the city while many stand seized at the police department yard.
To control traffic chaos in the city, Rath has been challaning and seizing vehicles on the spot in case drivers fail to produce valid driving documents.
A cross-section of drivers and conductors confess that most of them either don’t possess a valid driving licence or vehicles they were driving were unfit.
“There was a culture of commission going to the traffic department through traffic police personnel and seldom Matador drivers were asked to produce papers. Besides, overloading too was overlooked. However, since Rath joined, things have changed. Now, we have no option but to stop driving our Matadors,” said a Matador driver.
The owner of a Matador of the Ambphalla-Talab Tillo road, whose vehicle has also come to a halt due to non-availability of driver, said, “There is no government check on the release of permits for Matadors that have created chaos in the city, besides denting the business of genuine transporters. It is only due to this reason that we are not able to get a licensed driver as they charge heavy salaries and we have to depend on anybody who can drive the Matador.”
Additional Superintendent of Traffic Police, Jammu, Prabhu Dayal said the Matadors seized by the department were not on the basis of overloading only. “Many were challaned and seized for either not possessing valid documents or drivers didn’t have a licence. Besides, some Matadors had crossed the life limit and didn’t have a “passed” certificate,” Dayal added.
Meanwhile, a student of Government Women College, Kacch Chawni, Anjali Abrol, said, “We are happy that only a few Matadors are plying as we can move safely on roads. These Matadors cause traffic chaos and cause accidents due to blatant violation of rules.”
Strict measures
To control traffic chaos in Jammu, Inspector General of Police, Traffic, Basant Rath has been challaning and seizing vehicles on the spot in case drivers fail to produce valid driving documents
Hundreds of vehicles are either standing idle at their owners’ places or are undergoing servicing at various workshops in the city while many stand seized at the police department yard
