Less than 48 hours after an MTC bus fell off Gemini flyover injuring about 40 passengers, another bus rammed a container lorry on the Bangalore Highway on Friday afternoon.
The bus on route no. 554 started from Saidapet depot in the morning was heading to Sriperumbadur. There were around 20 passengers in the vehicle. After passing through Guindy and Porur, it reached St. Johns International School around 12.45 p.m.
According to the police, the driver was speeding. “The driver Anbazhagan rammed the vehicle into a container lorry ahead of him. The lorry, carrying cars, was travelling on the left side of the road,” said Poonamallee traffic investigation inspector V. Gunasekaran.
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About 15 passengers were injured with three sustaining serious injuries. They were rushed to a private hospital.
A case was registered under section 279 of the IPC (rash and negligent driving). The driver was let out on bail later.
An official at the Saidapet bus depot said the driver Anbazhagan had been handed a memo for speeding on an earlier occasion. “He is notorious for driving at a high speed,” the official said.
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Mr. Gunasekaran said that it was common to find vehicles speeding on Bangalore Highway. “The national highway is meant for comfortable driving. Bus and car drivers should act more responsibly and adhere to speed limits,” he said.
Commuters, however, are losing their patience with MTC drivers. “One often finds buses speeding between Valluvar Kottam and Kodambakkam bridge. It is a very narrow stretch and can easily lead to an accident,” said S. Richard, who works in private company in Kodambakkam.