KOCHI: A couple of days ago, the Ernakulam Rural police registered a case under IPC 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) against a KSRTC driver who unleashed terror along the Muvattupuzha-Koothattukulam stretch of MC Road last week. The accused driver, yet to be identified by the police, deliberately hit a car with passengers inside it a couple of times before speeding away.
The incident took place near Meenkunnam on May 4 when both the vehicles were proceeding towards the Koothattukulam side. The car passengers, Hemalatha and Jayan of Thrissur, had an altercation with the accused after the bus overtook them through the wrong way.
“Had the bus hit the car for a third time, it would have fallen into a huge pit on the roadside. After eyewitness accounts verified the complaint of road rage, a case has been registered against the bus driver from the Punaloor KSRTC depot. The service is being operated on the Punaloor-Palakkad route,” said Manuraj, Sub Inspector of police, Muvattupuzha.
The incident is a chilling reminder to the authorities on the killer reputation earned by KSRTC bus drivers in recent times.
According to official estimates, as many as 208 persons were killed and 2,528 sustained injuries in 1,379 accidents involving KSRTC buses in 2015. Similarly, 173 persons were killed and 2,269 suffered injuries in the following year.
KSRTC buses have been involved in over 175 accidents so far this year, causing at least 16 deaths and 188 injuries.
The rising number of accidents is also affecting the financial prospects of the cash-strapped department, with the compensation paid to accident victims standing at ₹26.7 crore and ₹31.08 crore respectively in the last two years.
Commenting on the issue, KSRTC Managing Director M.G. Rajamanickam said stern action would be initiated against drivers causing accidents. “No driver will be permitted to join duty unless he is cleared of all charges. We hope this will serve as a deterrent to drivers against reckless driving,” he told The Hindu .
In case the internal inspection by the department finds the driver not guilty, he may be permitted to join the “other duty” for a maximum of three days, Mr. Rajamanickam added.
Until now, the department had permitted drivers involved in accidents to join other duties even after the Motor Vehicles Department suspended their licences.
