The spurt in accidents involving tanker lorries, transporting highly explosive Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), points to the inability of oil companies and the Motor Vehicles Department in strictly implementing safety norms.
Safety issues while transporting the highly combustible gases have come into focus again with Sunday’s accident involving a tanker lorry carrying ATF from Kochi to the Thiruvananthapuram airport. Preliminary reports say driver fatigue caused the accident.
Airport Director V.N. Chandran said the airport authorities were on tenterhooks although the accident occurred outside the airport.
The oil companies did not respond immediately to the distress call when the ATF started spilling after the tanker crashed into a wall.
This comes close on the heels of the February 16 accident on the NH-66 at Thonnakkal at 4 a.m., involving a tanker lorry that was carrying ATF to Thiruvananthapuram airport. Road safety expert Upendranarayan said an inferno was avoided in the high-risk airport area as the authorities could ensure that fire did not break out after the fuel leakage.
Just one rescue vehicleKerala had just one emergency rescue vehicle for handling such emergencies and it is under the custody of the Indian Oil Corporation in Kochi, he said.
As per the Motor Vehicle Act, tanker lorries and other heavy vehicles with all-India permit should have a spare driver and a helper. But, it is seldom followed by lorry operators and oil companies.
Often, drivers work up to 20 hours in the trailers and this leads to accidents. “Preventive measures by the oil companies and the MVD are needed to avert accidents,” he added.
The recent move by Transport Commissioner Rishi Raj Singh to make two drivers and a helper mandatory in the tanker lorries did not take off as the operators carrying LPG and other petroleum products went on an indefinite strike.
