In the wake of a rise in number of bus drivers caught for drunk driving, the city police have decided to approach private bus owners associations in the city and direct them to avoid employing drivers once caught for drunk driving. The new step is being initiated on the finding that temporary cancellation of licenses of drunk drivers is not an effective deterrent.
“We have decided to recommend cancellation of licences of those caught for drunken driving without fail. Further, the bus owners will be directed to avoid employing drivers with a history of drunk driving, when the vehicles are released from custody,” said a senior police official.
The police are now conducting breath analyzer tests for bus drivers at vital points in the city, especially during the morning hours. Recently, it had given a report to the Ernakulam RTO recommending cancellation of licenses of 25 bus drivers.
Waiting to be ferried
The need for developing an integrated water transport system for Kochi has been widely acknowledged from time to time. But acknowledgement apart, the woes of those travelling by boats still continues.
Even as the city has been witnessing an increase in footfalls with the onset of the tourist season and the Biennale 2014, the absence of adequate and regular ferry services is proving to be a damper on the travel plans of the visitors. The commuters allege that even the existing boats operate on a pick and choose fashion.
The water transport officials, however, maintained that the department was operating the full-schedule. They also spoke of the plans to operate special services connecting the city with West Kochi in view of the upcoming festival season. “If the current schedule is not sufficient to cater to the seasonal traffic, we will operate some additional services to clear the rush. But we need to receive requests in writing for this,” officials said.
Last time, the department had operated special services from the Ernakulam main jetty for the visitors to Biennale during the last few days before its closing down.
