Footboard menace: court seeks details of buses in T.N.
Several measures have been taken by the State government, and the law enforcement agencies to prohibit footboard travel, but violations are being reported almost every day, the court says
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, hearing the suo motu proceedings initiated in 2013 pertaining to the menace of footboard travel in buses, sought details of buses plying with and without doors.
A Division Bench of Justices R. Suresh Kumar and G. Arul Murugan sought a consolidated report from the State on such buses being operated by various transport corporations and also private buses.
The court observed that the footboard travel in buses, no doubt, was a menace and a dangerous one. Sometimes, it might be an inevitable act, but most of the time, it would be for jolly ride, especially, by young people and students. Resultantly, there were lots of accidents being reported almost every day, in which valuable lives were lost. In order to prohibit or eradicate this menace, the courts had shown their indulgence. Even though several measures had been taken by the State government and the law enforcement agencies, the violations were being reported almost every day.
To completely prohibit footboard travel, some protective measures could be taken by the transport corporations as well as private bus operators. In this regard, every bus — public carrier or contract carrier — plying in the State should have doors. If that was ensured, certainly this kind of menace could be prohibited completely, the court observed.
The State submitted that this was being implemented in a phased manner and a considerable number of buses operated by the State Transport Corporations had doors with closing facilities. Granting time for ling the report, the court posted the matter to June 12.