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No Bus Driver To Drive For 8 Hours Continuously: Punjab And Haryana HC
Writer: Akanksha Saxena
I am a budding journalist who loves to write stories that have the ability to connect with people.
Haryana, 5 Jan 2022 9:40 AM GMT
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Creatives : Akanksha Saxena
I am a budding journalist who loves to write stories that have the ability to connect with people.
A Haryana roadways driver named Pardeep filed a petition against an administrative order, stating that it violated Section 13 of the Motor Transport Workers Act, asking the drivers to not drive more than 8 hours in a day.
The Punjab and Haryana ruled that a state roadways driver should not ride a bus for more than 8 hours. The petition was filed by a driver named Pardeep and was heard by Justice Arun Monga. Pardeep is a driver of a bus in the Haryana Roadways. With the help of his counsel named Ravi Sharma, he sought the High Court's refuge against an administrative order passed in 2018.
According to the petition, the order violated Section 13 of the Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961, stating that no driver should be 'allowed to work for more than eight hours in a day and forty-eight hours in a week.'
Refrain From Non-Stop Driving
As reported by the Indian Express, the petitioner also stated that Haryana Roadways drivers are not given any rest as mandated by Section 15 of the Act mentioned above. "The hours of work for adult motor transport workers on each day shall be so fixed that no period of work should exceed five hours," said the legislation.
Justice Monga stated that the order prevented drivers from working overtime to avoid physical and mental fatigue. "It is expected of the competent authority that the impugned order shall be implemented in letter and spirit, without violating the aforesaid mandatory provisions," the news publication quotes him. Further, he added that the transport department should not tire the drivers by adhering to the Act.
Physical And Mental Fatigue
For Indian bus drivers, long work hours is an unfortunate reality. According to a Scroll report, the physical and mental fatigue caused by it is one of the main reasons behind increasing road accidents in recent years.
The Times of India reported heart attack occurrences among several bus drivers in Tamil Nadu. In 2016, a 55-year-old driver in the state's Salem district suffered an attack while driving a TNSRTC bus. While he could save the 60 passengers on board, he lost his life when they brought him to the hospital.
Therefore, such conditions raise the alarm about the state transport's well-being. It is imperative to make sure that the concerned legislation is working for the drivers' welfare at all times.
Also Read: Meet Pooja Devi, First Woman Bus Driver Of Jammu And Kashmir
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