KSSP concern over rise in tanker lorry mishaps

The Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) has expressed concern over the increasing number of accidents involving tanker lorries.

The number of victims, right from the time of the accident at Karunagapally three years ago, has been kept to a minimum because of the peculiarities of the land and the time of the accident.

“The alertness of public and local residents also played a key role in keeping the number of victims to a minimum,” said a press release issued by the KSSP here on Wednesday.

Accidents occur due to various reasons, sometimes it is the carelessness of the driver and sometimes it is an unscientifically built divider on the road.

But in a state, where over 40,000 accidents are reported a year, the authorities have the responsibility to ensure that the vehicles take the necessary precautionary measures.

Only trained drivers should be allowed to drive vehicles loaded with dangerous substances such as gas and oil. The authorities should check whether the structure of the vehicle is as per the norms.

Unscientific road construction and lack of timely repair works add to this. Instead of improving public transport facilities and roads, the government is giving priority to high speed roads and special corridors.

The KSSP has demanded that an expert committee be appointed to look into accidents involving oil tankers and immediately implement the recommendations of the panel.