Kochi authorities mandate police clearance for private bus crew following violence

…District police chief (Kochi City) Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar said the instruction to make police clearance certificate (PCC) mandatory for bus crew will be implemented strictly in the wake of the repeated incidents. He cited the highly competitive nature in the sector, mainly caused by the tight trip schedules, as a major reason fuelling road rage and confrontations. The officer said a proposed QR code-based checkpoint system is expected to improve the situation. Special drive The Motor Vehicles department (MVD), meanwhile, conducted a special drive in the district recently, during…

…he said. The Ernakulam Private Bus Operators Association said it supported the police and the MVD in reining in criminal elements in the sector. “The vehicles often involved in such incidents are not our members. We have denied membership to around 60 buses that were found to be frequently causing trouble ,” K.B. Suneer, president of the association, said. Mr. Suneer, however, cited practical difficulties in obtaining PCCs for employees and urged the authorities to relax the norms and issue clearance to those booked for…