Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 24 : Following the Friday morning incident in which at least 20 people were killed after a Bengaluru-bound bus was gutted on the National Highway 44 in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Jagruthi founder K Kavitha urged the central government to review its transport policy, requesting the recall of "sleeper coach buses"
She noted that countries like China had imposed a ban on such buses as there's no scope for passengers to survive such incidents in these types of vehicles.
"I hope the Union government reviews the transport policy, where such buses should be recalled. China has completely banned the sleeper coach buses. Maybe it is time to rethink. People don't survive such accidents. It is high time we review this policy," Kavitha told ANI.
Kavitha flagged the issue of a surge in such incidents while expressing grief over the loss of lives in the Kurnool bus incident.
"Unfortunately, there has been an accident reported in Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh, where 21 dead bodies have been recovered so far. This accident involves a sleeper coach bus. It's a private transport bus travelling from Hyderabad to Bangalore. Unfortunately, we've seen a surge in these accidents. One was in Delhi, another in Bengaluru. Now it has happened in Kurnool," the Telangana Jagruthi founder said.
Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar Goud, today issued a stern warning that "unfit buses" which flout the rules set by the government would be seized, and added that there was no playing with the lives of citizens.
"We have directed the transport authorities to seize any unfit buses to eliminate potential threats to life. We direct the transport people that buses will be seized if they don't comply with the rules. There is no playing with the lives of citizens," Telangana Transport Minister Goud told ANI.
Offering condolences over the lost lives, Goud informed that all concerned government officials were at the scene of the accident.
The Bangalore-bound bus carrying 41 passengers caught fire after the motorcycle got stuck under the bus and was engulfed in flames after petrol leaked from its ruptured fuel tank. The accident occured in Chinnatekur, near Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, on National Highway (NH) 44 in the early hours of Friday.
Jayant Kushwaha, who was travelling from Hyderabad in a private bus that caught fire on Friday, narrated the horrific ordeal, saying that he remained in disbelief after witnessing fire onboard as soon as he woke up.
Jayant woke up around 2:30 AM only to find himself and others trapped in a fire on board since the doors remained locked. He, along with two or three other passengers, attempted to break emergency windows to escape the bus.
The bus caught fire, killing at least 20 passengers after colliding with a bike that got stuck under the bus, officials confirmed on Friday.
Kurnool District Collector (DC) A Siri said that a total of 11 bodies have been identified, while the remaining nine bodies are yet to be accounted for. She said that the incident occurred in the early hours of Friday between 3:00 AM and 3:10 AM.
"There are a total of 41 members in the bus, including two drivers. A bike got stuck under the bus. After the accident, petrol leaked from the bike and caught fire. Of the 41 members, we have traced 21 passengers; they are safe. 11 dead bodies have been removed from the bus. 21 members have minor injuries and are undergoing treatment. We have to confirm about the remaining 9 bodies," DC Siri said.
She further informed that the bus doors failed to open after the accident. However, the DC said, two drivers managed to escape from the fire.
"This incident happened late at night, and the passengers were sleeping. The bus wires were cut after the accident, and the bus doors didn't open after the accident. We're investigating the matter. The two drivers escaped from the fire. The passengers were coming from Hyderabad, and we're tracing the deceased family members. We've set up a control room for help," DC Siri said.
A fire official pointed out that there were no safety hammers to break the glass after the accident.
"The bus collided with a bike, dragged it and caused the bike's petrol to leak, which led to a fire. There were no safety hammers to break glass after the fire accident. The bus driver didn't stop after the collision with the bike. The bus' diesel tank didn't catch fire, but the bus was totally damaged. We're investigating the matter," the official said.