Despite frequent accidents, Uttar Pradesh yet to lay down design & specs norms for tractor trolleys
In less than two weeks, Uttar Pradesh has lost at least 37 lives in road accidents involving tractor-trolleys
In less than two weeks, Uttar Pradesh has lost at least 37 lives in road accidents involving tractor-trolleys. On September 26, nine people died and several others sustained injuries after a tractor-trolley overturned in a pond in Lucknow’s Itaunja town. In a similar but fiercer incident, 26 people lost their lives and many others were left injured after the tractor-trolley in which they were travelling overturned and fell into a pond in Kanpur on October 1. And on Tuesday, two women died and 14 others suffered critical injuries after another tractor-trolley overturned within the Bharatpur police station jurisdiction of Aligarh.
Apart from these, the state has reported several other such accidents in the past as well. However, despite this high frequency of road mishaps involving tractor-trolleys in the state, the transport department of the Uttar Pradesh government has still not laid down design norms for registration of domestically-manufactured trailers (trolleys).
An official, requesting anonymity, said the onus to lay down design and specification norms for registration is on the transport commissioner as per UP Motor Vehicles Rules of 1998. The official added, “A few months ago, a special secretary in the government had even written to the transport commissioner urging authorities to lay down design and other specifications for locally manufactured tractor-trolleys/trailers as provided under state rules... A large number of tractor-trolleys registered for agriculture are used to ferry passengers and other commercial purposes in violation of rules,” he said.
A majority of trolleys/trailers are attached to tractors illegally in Uttar Pradesh. Registration is often not secured for these trolleys from the Regional Transport Office (RTO). According to transport department data, exclusively available with HT, only 583 trolleys are registered for commercial purposes in the state despite 10,400 commercial tractors. The situation is even worse for tractors used in the agricultural field. Uttar Pradesh doesn’t have any trolley registered for agriculture despite having 18.5 lakh agricultural tractors.
Following the Kanpur accident, the transport department set up a five-member committee to study provisions related to manufacturing and registration of tractor trolleys under the Central Motor Vehicles Act of 1988 and the Central Motor Vehicles Rules of 1989 as well as the guidelines issued in this regard in other states. The order issued in this regard on Monday by additional transport commissioner VK Sonakiya said that the MV Act doesn’t have clear provisions for the registration of the trolleys used for the agriculture purpose. However, people privy to the matter say that the order is a mere eyewash.
As per section 172 of the Uttar Pradesh Motor Vehicles Rules of 1998, “No trailer manufactured in India and intended to be used as a transport vehicle shall be registered unless its design is approved by the Transport Commissioner.” The section deals with the locally manufactured trailers, their specifications and design. The sub rule 4 of the same section adds, “The Transport Commissioner may, by notification, published in the Official Gazette, lay down standards, design, specifications, and calculations in respect of all any particular type of trailer or trailers.”
Observers believe that lack of proper guidelines cause people to avoid getting RTO registration of trolleys. “With the state transport department not formulating rules for design and specifications of tractor-trolleys, very few people turn up to the RTOs to register trolleys. This is despite most tractor owners using a trolley for either commercial or agricultural purpose,” said the official.