Transport Dept crippled by lack of rescue machinery
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 17 2013: Even as Transport Department has hiked vehicle taxes considerably and is fairly successful in collecting handsome amount of revenue from vehicle tax, there is no exigency mechanism or machinery for rescuing people and vehicles in the event of any disastrous mishap.

Transport Department collected vehicle taxes in the range of Rs 4.5 crores to Rs 5.5 crores during 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 .

The revenue collected from vehicle taxes recorded a quantum jump in 2011-12 following a sharp hike in vehicle tax.

The amount collected during the period was around Rs 17 crores.

According to a source, following revision of the rate of taxes, annual tax for heavy commercial taxes was raised by 60 per cent since April 2011 .

Even though the annual tax has been raised manifold, there is neither machinery nor any plan to procure such machinery which would be required for rescue operations in the event of any disastrous mishap involving heavy passenger vehicles.

Since the past few years, heavy vehicles having as many as 10 to 12 wheels are seen on the roads of Manipur.

Picture of a crane to be used for emergency

According to a ruling of the Supreme Court, a commercial vehicle having six wheels may carry as much as nine tonnes of load, vehicles having 10 wheels may carry up to 15 tonnes and those with 12 wheels may carry loads as heavy as 20 tonnes.

However, there is no machinery or crane with Transport Department to pull up a 12-wheeled commercial vehicle in the event of the vehicle turning turtle or skidding down the road.

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways provided a crane to the Transport Department in 2002, followed by another in 2006 and a third in 2008.Capacity of the crane given in 2002 is 17 tonnes while the other two are of 14 tonne capacity.

Of the two cranes of 14 tonne capacity, one is already non-operational after it met with an accident along Imphal-Jiribam highway in the course of the bandh imposed by the Sadar Hills Districthood Demand Committee.

Nonetheless, efforts are on to repair the crane.

As against a proposal of Rs three crores sent by Transport Department to the State Government to repair the crane, around Rs 1.5 crore has been released.

At the moment, Transport Department has two working cranes.

General life span of a crane is five to eight years.

As such, all the cranes in possession of Transport Department are nearing their expiry periods.

Moreover, these machinery are not fit to handle the larger commercial vehicles which are plying on the roads of Manipur since the past few years.

Transport Department staff looking after the cranes are totally helpless when any of these jumbo commercial vehicles met with accident.

Expressing amazement at the indifference of the State Government and the Transport Department, the source disclosed that the two staff looking after the cranes have not been paid their salaries for the last three years, forget about procuring necessary cranes.

Moreover, driver of the crane who sustained injuries when it met with an accident on Imphal-Jiribam highway has not been given any medical aid, added the source.