Udupi: Road accidents involving tippers transporting materials has raised — once again — the dangers of overspeeding and negligent driving.In two separate incidents reported from Kundapur, several bus passengers were injured, and a two-wheeler rider lost his life. Now, the district administration has decided to make the installation of speed governors mandatory on such vehicles with immediate effect.Udupi SP Hariram Shankar said that the Road Safety Authority decided that all six-wheeler and heavy vehicles transporting mines and minerals within Udupi district must compulsorily install speed governors with a maximum speed limit of 60 kmph.Ten days will be given to tipper/ truck drivers to comply with the directive. Pamphlets will be distributed to drivers in the coming days to ensure compliance, the SP said. Jan 20 is the deadline for installing doors in buses. After the deadline, buses found operating without doors will be penalised or seized, he warned.In the first incident reported on Jan 5, a KSRTC bus driven by Hanumanthappa Siddappa Madi Poojari was travelling from Kundapur towards Ajri via Tallur-Neralakatte route at 4.20pm. When the bus reached Shetrakatte in Gulwadi village, an oncoming tipper, being driven at high speed, rammed into the right side of the bus. Because of the impact of the collision, 14 of the 39 passengers sustained injuries.During investigation, it was found that the tipper driver violated permit conditions by transporting excess soil on a narrow road at high speed. Its driver Raghavendra too sustained injuries, and is being treated in a hospital.Three persons were named as accused in the case — tipper driver Raghavendra of Kudi village in Kokkarne; the tipper owner (who is yet to be arrested); and Shridhara Sheregar of Kalsanka Road, Moodkeri, Basrur village, Kundapur, for allegedly supplying soil illegally to the tipper.In the other incident reported on Wednesday, Shreyamsh Jain recklessly drove a tipper loaded with sand from Halnadu village. Around 10am, near Unity Hall at Hanglur village in Kundapur taluk on NH-66, the tipper travelling from Kundapur towards Udupi collided with a scooter, killings its rider Krishnamurthy Adiga on the spot. A case was registered at Kundapur traffic police station.
