Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Once again, rash driving and overtaking took its toll. In a tragic incident, a 25-year-old passenger died, while 46 others were injured, four of them are critical following a head-on collision between two private buses on the Indore-Khandwa Road under the Simrol police station jurisdiction on Thursday morning.
According to the police, the accident took place near Baigram village around 11 am. At least 46 passengers travelling in the buses were injured in the crash and admitted to the government-run Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital (MY Hospital).
MY Hospital superintendent, Dr PS Thakur, said a passenger succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The deceased has been identified as Rahul Bhawar Singh, 25, a resident of Jamli Kala village in Khandwa district, Thakur said. The condition of four injured persons is stated to be critical.
PASSENGER’S NARRATIVE
A passenger told the police that he was travelling in the ill-fated Indore-bound bus from Khandwa. The bus was packed with passengers and was racing against time. While trying to overtake a vehicle, it collided with another bus coming from the opposite direction injuring many passengers. People were crying and screaming for help.
Simrol police station in-charge RNS Bhadoriya said a case has been registered against both the bus drivers. It seems that both the buses were pacing to reach their destinations and passengers had also pleaded with the drivers to slow down. Further investigation is underway into the case.
CM announces relief
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed grief over the mishap and instructed collector Ilayaraja T. to provide financial assistance to the family members of the deceased and the injured passengers.
Rs 2 lakh will be given to the kin of the deceased. Rs 50,000 will be given to those who are seriously injured and Rs 20,000 to the injured. Through the Red Cross Society, assistance of Rs 5,000 each has also been provided as immediate aid to each injured passenger.
GATHERING INFORMATION
Water Resources minister, Tulsi Silawat, and collector Ilayaraja T reached the MY Hospital and gathered information from the doctors about the injured persons.
Four persons named Trilokchand of Karwaliya village in Khargone district, Deepak of Balwada, Sunil of Rajgarh, Mishrilal of Pancham Ki Phel area of the city have been critically injured. Silawat told media persons that the government has taken stern note of the matter and has ordered a thorough probe and action would be taken against the guilty.
FP VIEW
Caring two hoots about people’s lives, bus operators flout traffic rules and make a mockery of it. As a result, ordinary people have to pay the price with their lives. In order to make profit the bus operators ‘accommodate’ too many passengers and the drivers drive rashly in a bid to complete as many trips as possible due to pressure from the bus operators. The administration must be stricter and probe thoroughly to penalise such unscrupulous operators to set an example.
