Town bus operators, both private and government, in the city have been asked to strictly follow traffic regulations and have been warned of stern action against violations.
The warning came from District Collector Jayashree Muralidharan, who convened a high-level meeting with senior officials and operators of town buses in the city, both private and Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, here on Saturday.
The meeting was convened to discuss road safety in the wake of frequent accidents involving town buses in the city over the past few months.
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Recent fatal accidents involving a couple of private town buses on the Thanjavur Road in the city caused public outrage and led to protests. Consequent to the accidents, a series of speed-breakers have been put up at accident prone spots along the Thanjavur Road.
Meanwhile, Ms. Muralidharan convened the meeting with private operators and State Transport Corporation officials, consumer organisations, police, transport, highways, and Tiruchirapalli City Corporation officials to discuss steps to be put in place to prevent accidents. In a release issued after the meeting, Ms. Muralidharan said all buses operating within the city should adhere to a speed limit of 40 km an hour and over speeding should be prevented. On no account, air horns should be used in buses within the city. Playing of tape recorders/audio players in buses has been banned. Seats on one side of the buses should be marked for women.
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All these regulations should be strictly adhered to and enforced. The regulations would be applicable to mini buses. Action would be taken against operators violating the regulations, Ms. Muralidharan said.