Unfit ambulances running riot
The Hindu
No system in place to check their fitness or skills of drivers
Even as the State boasts of aggressive action plans to improve road safety, the entry of mechanically unfit vehicles as ambulances is going unchecked in the absence of a proper screening mechanism.
Vehicles with poor cubic capacity that can only be used for palliative care or mortuary purposes are plying across national and State highways taking advantage of relaxed speed regulation norms.
Even after the introduction of a centralised ambulance service network by the government under the Kanivu-108 project, there is no system in place to periodically inspect the fitness of such vehicles or test the driving skills of those behind the wheel. The proposals submitted by experts to streamline the sector too remain ignored.