A major accident was averted on Wednesday when an Arunachal Pradesh State Transport Services (APSTS) bus carrying students of Kendrya Vidyalaya-II School had a narrow escape. The bus carrying 75 students reportedly suffered brake fail near the Chandranagar Bridge in Itanagar. The driver was smart enough to save it from falling into Senki River. It is a wakeup call for the authorities. There are many buses plying in the state including the one used by the APSTS which are out-dated and poorly maintained. Chances of mechanic failure are quite high in these buses. The state government should gradually phase out all of them including the private and APSTS buses which are very old.
Even the local taxis and autos running in the state capital need to be strictly checked. Many of them are quite old and are past their utility. Adding to it the drivers plying these vehicles drive recklessly and are often seen flouting traffic rules. Learning from the Chandranagar incident, the authorities should start major drive against vehicles which are very old and poorly maintained. The vehicles that fail to meet the standard should be grounded in the better interest of the public. With the work on Itanagar-Banderdewa four lane road in progress the condition of NH 415 is expected to deteriorate in the coming months. Therefore it becomes more necessary to crack down on out-dated vehicles.