Minibus Accident: Vehicle Tax Paid 4 Hours After Crash

Mumbai: In a shocking revelation, it has come to fore that the motor vehicle (MV) tax for the minibus – which was involved in a fatal accident on Samruddhi expressway – was paid nearly four hours after the crash. Also, the vehicle was running without a valid permit. The October 15 mishap killed 12 people and injured 23 others while the vehicle was carrying 35 passengers, almost double its permitted capacity.

The MV tax, covering the period from September 1 to 30 and October 1 to 31, was paid online at 4.13am while the accident took place at around 12.30am in the Vaijapur area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. The minibus, with registration number MH 04 GP 2212, was registered at the Nashik RTO on October 14, 2016, but it had not been issued a permit for more than five months. A 'special permit' was issued on April 20, which was valid till April 24 for the Nashik-Garudeshwar journey.

Expressing concern over the issue, a transport expert said, “This incident comes after the July 1 bus fire on Samruddhi Expressway, which killed 25 passengers. The bus was also issued a pollution under control certificate nine hours after the mishap.” Meanwhile, two RTO officials, who have been arrested in relation to the minibus accident, were sent to 14-day judicial custody on Tuesday.