A KSRTC bus and a truck collided head-on killing the truck driver and injuring around 20 passengers in the bus at Okkal near Perumbavoor on Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Vijayakumar, 50, of Sathyamangalam in Tamil Nadu. None of the injured were serious.
The KSRTC bus was heading towards Kottarakkara from Palakkad and the truck was returning from Thiruvananthapuram after delivering load.
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The truck cabin was crushed in the accident and fire force personnel had a tough time taking out the driver. The Perumbavoor police have registered a case under IPC Section 304 A (causing death by negligence) against the KSRTC bus driver. Investigation is on into the accident though the police were prima facie under the impression that a fault on the part of the KSRTC driver probably led to the accident.
MVD drive
Incidentally, the fatal accident took place on the same day the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) launched a drive along the eastern suburbs of the district lasting 24 hours following increasing incidents of accidents reported from the area, especially involving KSRTC buses.
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Eight squads patrolled along the Muvattupuzha-Perumbavoor and Perumbavoor-Angamaly routes starting from 6 a.m. and the drive was scheduled to conclude on Thursday at 6 a.m. Two interceptors were also deployed as part of the drive to keep a tab on speeding and dangerous driving.
“A lot of accidents in quick succession were reported from the area and in many cases KSRTC buses were the common factor. Vehicles were found violating no-overtaking rules implicated by white and yellow lines. So, we wanted to scale up our presence as an effective deterrent,” said a senior MVD official.
Eight motor vehicle inspectors and 22 assistant motor vehicle inspectors split into eight squads patrolled the areas.