Following outrage over the video of two speeding buses on the Pollachi Main road, the police have so far detained over 25 private buses and arrested the negligent drivers, reports Deccan Chronicle.
This comes after two buses, which belong to the Ayyappa Bus Service (ABS) and Sree Velavan Transport(SVT), were caught on camera, driving rashly on the Pollachi-Coimbatore highway. The video, which was uploaded on Friday, went viral on social media, prompting the district administration to take action against the two private transport companies.
The two drivers, V Nagaraj (ABS) and Chakaravarthy Palani (SVT), who were involved in the race on Friday, have been arrested by the police and their licences cancelled. They were racing on the roads despite the evidently poor condition of the highway
To prevent such incidents, the Pollachi RTO reportedly seized 25 private buses which were over-speeding. According to the report, 17 buses were seized near Kinathukadavu, two buses in Pollachi taluk and six in Komangalam, for competing with one another in order to carry more number of passengers. In addition to this, the sub-collector has called for a meeting of private bus owners and RTO officials at Pollachi on Tuesday to discuss the issue.
The Pollachi-Coimbatore highway is notorious for such driving. At the moment, road widening works are happening on the highway, due to which the road is narrower than usual, with debris on both sides of the road. In spite of this, private buses often drive recklessly and compete against each other.