Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Taking a serious view of the bus accident in Guna district that claimed 13 lives, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Thursday ordered transfers of state transport commissioner Sanjay Kumar Jha, district collector Tarun Rathi and superintendent of police Vijay Khatri.
After returning from Guna where he met the injured persons in the hospital, Yadav in a statement said it was a "heart-wrenching incident" and stern action will be taken against those responsible.
As many as 13 people were charred to death and 14 others injured after the bus collided with a dumper in Guna district on Wednesday night.
The chief minister also directed all district collectors and other concerned officers to ensure that such an incident does not take place by regularly checking permits and other documents of public transport vehicles.
Subsequently, the state government first issued the transfer order of the collector, followed by transfer orders of state transport commissioner and Guna SP.
Both Jha and Khatri were shifted to the police headquarters, while Rathi was transferred to the state secretariat as additional secretary.
The charge of the transport department was taken away from principal secretary Sukhveer Singh and given to additional chief secretary (home) Rajesh Rajora.
RTO, CMO suspended
Earlier in the day, CM Yadav ordered the suspension of Guna's Regional Transport Officer Ravi Barelia and Chief Municipal Officer V D Katrolia on charges of negligence in the matter, an official said.
It is a matter of probe how such a fire broke out, Yadav told PTI, adding that the government will ensure such an accident does not recur.
Following directives of the chief minister, the district collector has formed a four-member committee headed by additional district magistrate Mukesh Kumar Sharma, to conduct a probe into the incident. The panel was directed to submit its report within three days on various issues, including whether the two vehicles had all the legal permissions and how the bus caught fire, officials said.
