The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Court: speed governors mandatory

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Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Court: speed governors mandatory

Staff Reporter

No new vehicles to be registered without them

Owners of old transport vehicles given three months
Lorry owners vow to continue their fight

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Monday directed the State Government and the Transport Department to ensure that no new public (transport) vehicles shall be registered in Karnataka unless they were fitted with speed governors.

The court gave three months from Monday for owners to fit all old vehicles (which have already been registered) with speed governors.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice A.N. Venugopal passed the order on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition by Nanjappa, a resident of Bangalore, seeking a direction from the court to authorities to implement the provisions of Motor Vehicle Act relating to installation of speed control devices (speed governors) in transport motor vehicles.

Allowing the petition by Mr. Nanjappa, the Bench quashed the notifications by the State extending time to vehicles to be fitted with speed governors.

This is the second time the High Court has directed the State Government to implement the provisions of the Act relating to installation of speed governors. A Bench headed by the Chief Justice had some months ago directed the State to ensure that all new vehicles were fitted with speed governors and that even old vehicles should be fitted with these devices.

The Lorry Owners’ Federation and later the State Government had filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court. The court had remitted the matter back to the High Court and asked it to dispose of the matter expeditiously.

Lorry owners unhappy

Expressing displeasure over the verdict of the High Court, Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners’ and Agents’ Association has declared that the fight against fixation of speed governor will be intensified.

Federation president G.R. Shanmugappa told The Hindu that the issue of fixation of speed governor would be included under the charter of demands placed before the Union and State Government while calling for nation-wide strike from the midnight of July 1 against the proposal to bring truckers under service tax net. He said there was no change in the stand of the All India Motor Transport Congress about the strike.

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