While the administration is taking all steps to curb the number of overloaded trucks on the roads - the police recently launched a drive against trucks and trailers illegally carrying load beyond capacity - it is giving little attention to the problem of overcrowded public vehicles in the city.
"Hundreds of overcrowded public vehicles ply on city roads with no traffic guard to penalize them," said Vijay Chandra, a commuter. Travelling in auto-rickshaws and trekkers, the two kinds of public transport available in the city, is not less than risking one's life.
A four-seater autorickshaw carrying eight or more passengers and a 12-seater trekker with at least 16 passengers manage to get away without being fined. Even if passengers express displeasure, drivers pay no heed to it. During peak hours, passengers are seen sitting on rooftops.
Manoj Singh, a resident of Sector-II, said, "It is both funny and shocking to see how an auto driver himself doesn't have space to sit (and) half of his body sticks out of the vehicle."
Vijay Krishna Madhukar recently feel prey to the traffic mismanagement. The Class XI student of DAV Public School was run over by a truck after he fell from an overcrowded trekker.
The speeding truck hit the boy, a resident of Dumka, when he was hanging out of the trekker. The accident took place on November 21 near the railway overbridge in Siwandih. There is little change in the situation even after the mishap.
Women passengers suffer the most in overcrowded public transport. "It is difficult to squeeze in to an auto or trekker crowded with male passengers. It is uncomfortable The unwanted gestures of male passengers sitting behind them in overcrowded vehicles trouble us most. But traffic police never object to overcrowded vehicles," said Priya, a commuter.
Manpower crunch in the city traffic guard add to the woes. There are only 21 personnel to manage the huge traffic rush and no attempt has been made to meet the crisis.
The transport officials are conducting checks on the roads to stop overloading of coals and other materials on trucks believing that it causes huge revenue loss to the state exchequer to the tune of Rs 5 crore annually. But at the same time the death of a student falling from an overcrowded trekker did not gain any attention of the authorities.
However, Vijay Kumar Gupta, district transport official (DTO)-Bokaro, said they have already started regular checks to ensure road safety. "We will soon launch a drive to curb overloading on all vehicles be it auto-rickshaw, trekker or truck," he said.
Gupta had recently issued a directive to cement, steel, coal and power companies in the district asking them to stop overloading trucks. No such warning has been issued yet to drivers of public vehicles, who are risking thousands of lives everyday.
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