HC notice on defective manufacturing of vehicles

Jabalpur, June 23 (UNI) The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued notices to the Centre, state government and vehicle testing agencies for not manufacturing as per specifications leading to accidents claiming several thousand lives every year.

A division bench of Chief Justice A K Patnaik and Mr Justice Ajit Singh yesterday issued the notices returnable within a month on a public interest petition filed by Gyan Prakash of Forum for Traffic Safety and Environmental Sanitation.

Notices were also issued to Society for Indian Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, Vehicle testing agency, Automotive Research Association of India (Pune) and Central Farm Machinery Testing and Training Institute(Budhni).

Pointing out that at least one lakh people were killed and 15 lakh injured in road accidents every year, the petition said vehicles, particularly motor cycles and tractors, were not being manufactured as per the law and the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act were being violated.

''No protective device was provided for the safety of the pillion rider on motor cycles by covering at least half of the rear wheel. In tractors, though only one seat was provided for the driver, facility for seating of passengers was provided on the rear wheel's flat mudguard. This led to death of several people in accidents involving tractors'', the petitioner added.

UNI