Another bus driver is staring at the suspension of his licence after a social media post showed him fiddling with his mobile phone while driving. The incident occurred at Kothamangalam.
The Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) has over the last two weeks taken stringent action against bus drivers who were incautious at the wheel.
The video appeared on social media three days ago and the person who uploaded it mentioned that the bus was operating in the Kothamangalam area, following which MVD officials at the Kothamangalam Sub Regional Transport Office took due notice and tracked down the offender.
“The driver was tracked down on the same day itself, summoned and served a notice asking to show cause within three days. We are expecting an explanation by Friday based on which punishment will be decided,” said M.T. Davis, Joint RTO, Kothamangalam.
Suspecsion of licence
He said strict punishment entailing suspension of licence, the duration of which would depend on the driver’s explanation, was on the anvil. Mr. Davis said the gravity of the offence could not be discounted as the driver was driving a public transport vehicle, endangering the lives of passengers.
The video clearly shows the driver initially fiddling with the mobile phone before holding it to his ear, all the while holding the steering wheel with one hand.
Almost a fortnight ago, the MVD had suspended the licences of two drivers of tourist buses engaged by educational institutions for students’ tours after one was found allowing a bunch of girls to shift gears while the other was found singing holding a microphone in one hand and controlling the vehicle with the other. In those cases too, social media posts brought the matter to the notice of MVD authorities at Kalpetta and Perumbavoor respectively.
Shortly thereafter, MVD officials came across a social media post of the driver and owner of a tourist bus performing dangerous stunts at high speed on a school ground at Kottarakkara in Kollam district as students cheered on ahead of a tour.
