After the mishap that killed 25 people on the Samruddhi Mahamarg, the Maharashtra Transport Department has decided to act firmly against transport operators, aggregators and companies that force their drivers to do double or triple shifts, depriving them of sleep. Henceforth, if it is found while probing an accident that the driver was sleep deprived, the transport company that he works for, will lose its vehicle permits.

“Sleep is one of the key factors behind accidents. A sleep deprived driver is a killer on the road. Henceforth, if we find the cause of any mishap is a sleep-deprived driver, we will block his employer operators’ tourist vehicle permits and permissions. The idea is to ensure that the drivers do not drive for more than 8-9 hours continuously,” Maharashtra Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar said. In January 2019-May 2023, there have been 55,069 road accidents across the state.