Latest news with #Umashankar
NDTV
6 days ago
- Automotive
- NDTV
Long-Nose Trucks Making A Comeback, Decision Rests With The Centre
The Indian government is planning to bring back the long-nose trucks in India. The long-nose trucks, prominent in the 1990s, is a design of trucks that have a protruding hood and engine in front of the driver. The modern truck on sale in the Indian market has a modern look and has, most of the time, its engine placed under the driver's cabin. Now, V Umashankar, Union Road Transport and Highway Secretary, has hinted that the Long-nose truck may be back on the Indian roads. Long-nose trucks are likely to be back in India During the Urban Adda 2025, a three-day urban mobility conference organized in Delhi, V Umashankar explained that driving is based on sensory perceptions, and when the driver is sitting above the engine and the hood, it allows him a few extra seconds to calculate the space and time and reduce the risk. Also, this alteration can give drivers a better scope for responding swiftly. While the flat-nose trucks and the long-nose trucks have their share of advantages and disadvantages. The flat-nose trucks give a better seating space to the drivers, along with better vision of the road. On the other hand, the long-nose trucks might kill much of the cabin space but tend to offer a better overview of the vehicles running ahead of the truck. Umashankar said the ministry will soon commence the consultations with truck manufacturers and other stakeholders to facilitate the transition. Also, he hinted that even if the decision to roll out the nose-long truck is enforced, it will at least take two years for the manufacturers to restructure the assembly line and comply. Umashakar also said that the government is also planning the possibility of introduce puller-trailers in India to enhance freight efficiency and reduce logistics costs.
Hindustan Times
03-06-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Centre may bring back dog-nose trucks
The Centre is working on new regulations that may soon bring back the 'dog nose' design for trucks and heavy vehicles — a structural change that could improve road safety and logistics efficiency, Union road transport and highways secretary V Umashankar said on Tuesday. The 'dog nose' refers to a truck design in which the engine and hood protrude in front of the driver's cabin — a common sight until the late 1990s. That design gave way to flat-faced cabins when regulations started limiting the length of freight vehicles, which in turn began incentivised maximising cargo space. This, he said, inadvertently, may have introduced safety risks. Umashankar now says that this seemingly small change could be crucial to improving visibility and reaction time on highways. 'After all driving is based on sensory perception, your mind calculates based on what you see and takes actions. So, if the driver is not sitting on top of the engine, he can have a little bit of extra time.' 'This simple alteration gives drivers that extra bit of space and time — a space cushion — to see ahead and respond better,' he said. Umashankar was speaking at the sidelines of Urban Adda 2025, a three-day urban mobility conference in Delhi organised by the Raahgiri Foundation in partnership with the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) and GuruJal, and supported by Nagarro. HT is the media partner for the event. Automobile safety experts say both flat-fronted and dog-nosed configurations have their own advantages. An automobile designer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, 'In high-speed scenarios, the extra space provided by the nose would give better reaction time for the drivers, but flat-fronted trucks offer better visibility, which might be more advantageous in non-high-speed conditions, and particularly keeping in mind pedestrian safety.' Umashankar said the ministry will soon begin consultations with truck manufacturers and other stakeholders to facilitate the transition. However, even if the regulation is enforced today, it would take at least two years for manufacturers to rework assembly lines and comply. Beyond truck design, Umashankar said the government is also exploring the introduction of 'puller trailers' — multiple-trailer configurations already in use in several developed countries — to enhance freight efficiency and reduce logistics costs. 'We can have not just single, but multiple trailer systems. This will bring down the cost of freight movement and make the economy more efficient,' he said. He added that road safety issues are not inherently complicated but require cooperation between authorities and citizens at the local level. 'You need entire neighbourhoods to act as pressure groups. That's when real change happens,' he said. Drawing from his experience as municipal commissioner in Gurugram and Faridabad, Umashankar noted that urban mobility remains a pressing issue in most Indian cities. In many dense urban areas, app-based cab services are filling the gaps left by inadequate bus systems, he said. 'These services have not reduced congestion, but they have provided a certain level of mobility,' he said, adding that the government will come up with aggregator guidelines by the end of the month, which will cover safety, service availability, and driver welfare. He also struck a note of caution on metro rail as a silver-bullet solution to urban transit woes. 'Yes, metros can do bulk people movement, but Mumbai, for example, is a typical city which grew because it had a rail network that developed in the early 1900s when land was available and affordable. Today, creating a metro system takes 5–10 years. Without a complete network, ridership stays low,' he said. He pointed to his own tenure in Gurugram, where he helped launch a public bus service funded by a 1% surcharge on real estate transactions. That viability gap fund made fares affordable. 'Now, most cities do not make this kind of provision. So, we have loss-making services,' pointing to the failing service levels and bus ridership across major cities in India.' 'India to build all its highways by 2040'
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Time of India
Friends kill man after fight over drinks in Ghaziabad, burn his body; 5 nabbed
Ghaziabad: Two days after police recovered a partially burned skeleton and some ashes in a sugarcane field behind Heritage School in Modinagar area, five people have been arrested in connection with the crime. Forty-year-old Umashankar Sharma had been missing since April 27. Initial probe suggests the accused—Neeraj Saini (33), Ajay Singh (29), Pankaj Saini (19), Manoj Saini (22) and Gaurav Saini (20)—killed Umashankar on April 27 following a scuffle while they were sharing drinks. Modinagar ACP Gyan Prakash Rai said Umashankar was working with the five suspects in putting up flex banners. It is believed that after the body was set ablaze, animals scavenged it Umashankar's brother Dushyantidentified the skeleton on the basis of some clothes found at the spot. A forensic examination to identify the body is accused were booked under BNS sections of 103 (murder), 191 (2) (punishment for rioting) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender). The ACP said, "A missing person report for Umashankar was filed on May 20. On May 21, the police discovered skeletal remains in the forest behind Heritage School. Based on this information, the police arrested all five and during questioning, the accused confessed to their crime," the ACP said During probe, we found Umashankar, Ajay, and Neeraj were drinkingat Nai Sohan Dhaba. After some time, other friends Pankaj Saini, Manoj Saini, and Gaurav Saini alias Kalu arrived at the hotel and, they decided to a secluded spot behind the school," Rai said. "While drinking, a scuffle broke out between them and Umashankar hurled abuses at them. When Umashankar didn't stop, the five of them killed him and hid his body in the bushes Two days later, they went back to the spot and burnt the body," the ACP said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Time of India
Truck driver charred to death as vehicle catches fire in Katihar
Patna: The driver of a truck was charred to death when his vehicle caught fire after being hit by another truck from behind near Doomar locality on the National Highway 31 under Pothia police station in Katihar district on Friday night. The deceased was identified as Pramod Sahni (40) of Khagaria district.A video of the incident also went viral on social media platforms. In the video, the driver is seen surrounded by flames in his cabin. He was screaming for help and struggling to come out of the cabin, while people were trying to extinguish it. But they could not save him due to the raging receiving information about the incident, Pothia additional police station in-charge, Umashankar, arrived at the spot with the police force, and with the help of local residents brought the fire under control after about two hours of effort. Operation Sindoor 'Common sense prevailed': Trump on India-Pak ceasefire on Truth Social 'Pakistan initiated call; both nations agreed to stop military action after direct talks', says India Ceasefire took effect at 5pm; top India, Pak military officials to talk again on May 12 "The driver got trapped in the cabin after the fire broke out and was unable to open the cabin door. The truck was travelling from Purnia to Bhagalpur. The driver parked the vehicle near a petrol pump and went to sleep in the cabin. A collision with another truck from behind caused the vehicle to catch fire," said further said that the police have informed the driver's family and the vehicle owner about the accident. "The body was sent to the sadar hospital for postmortem. Meanwhile, the other truck involved in the collision has been seized and is parked at the police station. The causes of the incident are being investigated," he added.
