Assam transport officials have launched statewide checks on mandatory speed-limiting devices after a crash near Kaziranga killed 26 people, with inspections examining whether vehicles have functioning systems and whether their electronic controls have been tampered with.
District Transport Offices in Tinsukia and Kamrup (Metropolitan) began the special enforcement drive at several locations, including Khanapara, officials said. Motor vehicle inspectors are checking speed-limiting devices, vehicle documents and other prescribed safety requirements during the operation.
The inspections are being conducted under Rule 118 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, which requires specified vehicles to be equipped with speed-limiting devices. Officials said the enforcement drive would continue because it was not possible to examine every vehicle in a single day.
An official from the Kamrup (Metropolitan) DTO’s enforcement branch said inspectors were using an electronic device connected to a vehicle’s electrical control unit, or ECU. The system displays the vehicle’s speed-related settings and can help identify malfunctioning equipment or possible tampering, the official said.
“If a cable has been disconnected, the system will indicate a malfunction,” the official said. Vehicles may also be taken for test drives even when their electronic systems appear to be functioning properly, according to the transport department official.
The drive follows a head-on collision on November 13 between a passenger vehicle and a container truck on National Highway 715 near Rangajan, close to Hathikuli Tea Estate in Golaghat district. The crash occurred on the Kaziranga stretch, where traffic restrictions apply, according to the report.
Police said preliminary investigations indicated that the passenger vehicle was speeding and had violated traffic restrictions along the stretch. Its mandatory speed-limiting device had allegedly been removed, police said. Investigators were also examining the vehicle’s traffic violation record and previous overspeeding challans.
The vehicle’s owner was arrested on Sunday, according to police. The reported findings have placed renewed attention on whether mandatory vehicle safety systems are being installed, maintained and monitored after registration, particularly in passenger and commercial transport operations.
The current inspections are intended to identify vehicles without speed-limiting devices as well as those whose systems have been deliberately disabled. DTO officials said operators found to have disconnected cables or tampered with speed-control systems in violation of transport department regulations would face action.
The enforcement process combines document checks with electronic diagnostics and physical testing. This allows officials to examine not only whether a speed-limiting device is present, but also whether it is connected to the vehicle’s control system and operating as required.
The transport department has not indicated how many vehicles have been inspected or how many violations have been recorded during the initial checks. Officials said the drive would continue across the state, with inspections being conducted by district transport authorities at multiple locations.
