BHOPAL:The Sidhi bus tragedy in which 51 people lost their lives remains a mystery. Preliminary probe suggests that the bus driver could
Prima facie, the negligence of the driver has come to fore, but he claims that a technical snag led to the tragic accident. As per the man behind the wheel, he heard some bizarre sound coming from the bus, after which it ‘automatically’ sped into the canal.
Middle-aged Balendu Vishwakarma, the bus driver who was arrested from Satna district, just a few hours before Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan arrived in Sidhi, in his statement stated, "There was a strange sound in the bus, about which even some passengers complained. Before I could understand what happened, the bus automatically powered into the canal."
After the bus fell into the canal, "A girl passenger got out of the bus in the waters, and I followed her. Then some villagers took us out from the canal with the help of ropes. Had I remained on the spot, people would have lynched me. I had no option but to flee to Satna district," Balendu said.
While maintaining that 50-55 passengers could've been in the bus (32-seater bus) when the accident happened, the driver said that owing to prolonged jam since the last few days on the Chhuiya Ghati (NH-75), he had taken the alternate route.
Madhya Pradesh Minister Tulsi Silawat meets families of Sidhi bus accident victims, at the site of the accident. (ANI Photo) | ANI
Importantly, the bus was permitted by the transport department to operate between Sidhi and Satna via Chhuiya Ghati. The department has terminated the bus permit following Tuesday’s fatal accident.
Transport department officials who are in Sidhi to probe the mishap said, "the probe has just begun, but initial fact-finding, including the bus being overcrowded, suggests that prima facie the bus driver was at fault."
However, the bereaved families termed the prolonged traffic jam on the main Sidhi-Satna route (that prompted the driver to take a shorter route) to be the genesis of the accident.
Relatives of the deceased young couple Sushila and Pushpraj Prajapati, in Tarka village of Sidhi's Bahri block, said the accident could have been averted if the driver had not taken another route to avoid the congestion on Chhuiya Ghati .
"Traffic jam on Chhuiya Ghati (which is often frequented by heavy vehicles of cement factory and coal mines) has been a regular feature for the last many years. The main route was again witnessing prolonged jams since the last 4-5 days, but no serious efforts were made to clear the congestion. Had the bus not taken the alternate route, the mishap might not have happened and my brother and sister-in-law would not have died leaving their two kids behind," deceased Pushpraj's elder brother Prithvi Raj Prajapati lamented.
