Kochi: Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) on Sunday booked a tourist bus here for violating safety rules.
Students of MES College Edathala, Ernakulam, were on a study trip to Kodaikkanal when Aluva Joint RTO seized the bus after finding many violations like changing the body colour, illegal additions like lights and excessive noise set ups.
The students' trip had to be cancelled. The plan was to have a two-day Kodaikanal trip with 45 B Ed students. Apparently, the college had not informed the regional transport office or submitted the required documents and sent the vehicle for checks.
The MVD began a crackdown on tourist buses soon after the deadly accident at Vadakkencherry in Palakkad district a few days ago. Several checks conducted across Kerala on Saturday revealed most contract carriages violated safety norms.
The department registered 67 cases across the state on Saturday as part of Operation Focus 3, which was launched in the wake of the Vadakkencherry incident to take action against those found flouting rules.
Operation Focus 3 will continue inspections in the coming days as well. Night travel inspections will also be tightened, MVD sources said.