BANGALORE
Motorists on the Bangalore-Mangalore National Highway-75 (earlier 48) need to be extra careful, as death may be lurking in every corner of the highway in the form of 16-wheel tanker trailer ferrying petroleum products.
Motorists on the Bangalore-Mangalore National Highway-75 (earlier 48) need to be extra careful, as death may be lurking in every corner of the highway in the form of 16-wheel tanker trailer ferrying petroleum products. On Saturday, an oil tanker lost control and crushed a mini-van, killing five persons and injuring eight.
Bullet tankers, as they are commonly called, certainly act as death traps because they go out of control at the drop of a hat and slide helter-skelter causing a lot of damage to life and property and more importantly, to the environment.
There are over 3,000 bullet tankers plying on the stretch at any given time and many of them are inter-state movers. So accidents on this stretch have become commonplace. According to sources from the police outpost in Nelyadi, 10 tankers have met with accidents in the past three years, releasing poisonous fumes into the environment.
If the tankers continue to ply recklessly, this stretch could turn into a burial ground, jeopardising the safety of other road users.
On National Highway-75, over 2,000 petroleum tankers travel every day towards Bangalore. About 50% ply during the day and the remaining during the night.
There was opposition to the movement of petroleum products through this stretch. The district offices in Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Tumkur, Bangalore Rural and Bangalore Urban districts had sent repeated suggestions to the oil companies to utilise the Mangalore Bangalore Petroleum Pipeline corridor already laid between Thokur in Mangalore taluk to Devana Gundi in Nelamangala taluk in Bangalore Rural to ferry the petroleum products.
However, the oil companies are not paying any heed to the orders.
“There is a big tanker lobby from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, working behind the scenes,” said office-bearers of trade unions in Mangalore.
Ivan Menezes, a tanker owner in Mangalore, said, “We have invested crores of rupees on the fleet. About 80% of the vehicles are new and are hypothecated to nationalised banks. If they do not get contracts, the owners will be without jobs and the banks will be at loss. At present, almost all refineries have begun using oil pipeline grid of the Petronet India Limited, and only a small portion of the production of refineries is being sent through oil tankers.”
These oil tankers are unstable, particularly on curvy roads. There is a huge pivot mounted on the vehicle, which is a link to the trailer.
“This link works as joint and keeps the engine and the trailer in motion. The pivot has to be frequently serviced for preventing the drag of the trailer. But the tanker companies do not undertake this exercise as often as is suggested by the manufacturer. Brakes on all the 16 wheels should work in tandem, but the truck companies focus only on front and rear wheels to bring down the cost of maintenance. This is what causes the vehicle to topple,” said an official from the transport department.
Mukesh Ambani's SUPERHIT plan for Jio users, offers unlimited 5G access for 1 year for just Rs...
IND vs AUS 1st Test: KL Rahul's dismissal sparks DRS controversy in Perth Test
Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile: Which nations are within its range?
Bihar teacher, principal reach school in drunken state; know what happened next
'I have faced a lot of...': Arjun Kapoor REVEALS his biggest fear amid break up with Malaika Arora
How millions of Indians may get affected due to US indictment of Gautam Adani in bribery case
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan says 'missing someone is okay but...'
After Bibles, watches and sneakers, Donald Trump is now selling autographed guitars, price is...
Delhi pollution: Air quality improves to ‘very poor’ category, AQI at...
Vladimir Putin's BIG threat, warns he could strike UK with new ballistic missile if...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 22, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
Somebody misbehaved with Alia Bhatt on Highway sets then Imtiaz Ali had to...
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal reveals twist behind Rs 200000 job fee, closes application window
Days after Ratan Tata's demise, Tata Group's Rs 131000 crore company inks pact with ADB for...
WATCH: Woman makes Biryani with Parle-G biscuits, viral video fumes internet
Only train in India in which passengers can travel for FREE; check route, timings and more
'Justice for biryani': Parle-G biryani takes internet by storm, video goes viral
DNA TV Show: Why Gautam Adani charged with bribery and fraud in US
IND vs AUS: Records Virat Kohli can break during Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Diljit Dosanjh fans get angry over Ananya Panday's birthday post for her grandmother, here's why
Reddit suffers outage with ‘upstream connect error’ message, says 'currently investigating...'
Border-Gavaskar Trophy: How has Jasprit Bumrah fared in Tests in Australia?
Delhi records coldest night of the season, temp drops to...
Crossing the Line: Ukraine's Use of Storm Shadow Missiles and the Escalation of Conflict
When Malaika Arora talked about the controversial ‘instant pleasure’ ad, it was for…
This is the world’s most expensive shopping street, not Fifth Avenue, New Bond Street, it is...
Big setback for Gautam Adani, Kenya cancels Rs 6216 crore deal with Adani Group due to...
Viral video: Man’s jugaad to stay warm in winter will leave you SHOCKED, watch here
Hinduja Group firm gets key approval for acquisition of Anil Ambani's debt-ridden Reliance Capital
Viral video: Middle-Class man lives dream of having tea at Taj Hotel, netizens applauds
Shloka Mehta looks stunning in white floral kurta as she clicked with Akash Ambani, it costs Rs....
Who is Sagar Adani, Gautam Adani's nephew, accused of bribery, fraud charges in US?
IND vs AUS: Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins eye historic captaincy milestone in Perth Test
PayPal down: Several users face issue while logging into accounts, say 'no one could...'
BGT 2024, Ind vs Aus: Can Shubhman Gill be the new Cheteshwar Pujara? Is he really ready?
The Ultimate Guide to Luxury Gifting: Discover Heirloom Pashmina by Pashmina.com
Effortless Relocations: The Perks Of Professional Removalists In Melbourne
Watch: Pakistan fan with 'Imran Khan' poster asked to leave Hobart stadium in Australia
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for...
What is demisexuality? Everything you need to know about this lesser-known sexual orientation
WATCH: World’s shortest woman meets world’s tallest woman, video goes viral
IND vs AUS 1st Test: Predicted playing XIs, Perth weather forecast and pitch report
IND vs AUS: When will Rohit Sharma join India squad? Check latest update
'Scam 2024': Diljit Dosanjh lookalike pranks people on Pune streets, video goes viral
Delhi Air Pollution: Centre announces staggered work timings for govt employees; check details
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio loses nearly 80 lakh subscribers in just 30 days, BSNL adds...
IND vs AUS, 1st Test Dream11 prediction: Fantasy cricket tips for India vs Australia match
This country has most expensive passport in world, not US, UK, UAE, it costs Rs...
Amitabh Bachchan opens up on Aishwarya Rai-Abhishek Bachchan divorce rumours
Amid rising air pollution, Delhi-NCR's crematorium records cleanest air; check AQI here
Revolutionising Medical Imaging: Venudhar Rao Hajari’s impact on healthcare technology
Abhishek Gupta and Onevision Media: Scaling brands on social media
Video shows Korean girl eating jalebi for first time, her reaction to Indian sweet goes viral
Cristiano Ronaldo confirms THIS YouTube star as his next guest, says, 'Will break Internet'
Delhi Assembly Elections: AAP releases first list of 11 candidates for 2025 polls
Adani Group's FIRST REACTION after US indicts Gautam Adani in alleged bribery case
Instagram introduces new feature, know how to reset app's algorithm, change your feed
No mention of Aaradhya Bachchan in Amitabh Bachchan's post on birthdays, it happened recently
Oppo Find X8 and X8 Pro launched in India, check specifications, price, other details