An Uttar Pradesh Minister on Wednesday said bus drivers should “take a nap or practise vajrasana ” following a heavy meal to avoid dozing off at the wheel. The advice came following a bus accident on the Yamuna Expressway on Monday in which 29 people were killed.
U.P. Transport Minister Swatantra Dev Singh said at a press conference here that an inquiry committee report into the Expressway accident on Monday has suggested that the driver fell asleep.
The inquiry committee constituted by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was asked to submit its report to the State government within 24 hours.
The Minister said he got the “ vajrasana tip”, a basic sitting posture in yoga, from a video made by Sadguru.
“I was watching a video yesterday and it instructed that if anyone is driving after a full meal, he should take a 30-minute break,” the Minister told media persons.
“That is, when he eats, he should either take a nap or sit in vrajasana for 20 minutes and then go,” the Minister added.
Route change
When asked why the route of the bus was changed, Mr. Singh said there were no passengers for Ghazipur that day but several people were heading for Agra or Delhi.
“The driver of the ill-fated bus had joined after three days of leave. He had a good track record and was involved in only one accident in the past. He had an experience of eight or nine years,” the Transport Minister said.
No action can be taken against the driver as he is dead. But if officials checking duty on the route were missing, action will be taken against them, he said.
Mr. Singh also suggested better training for drivers and regular health check ups.
“Apart from this, public awareness should also be done. The regional managers should ensure compliance of this,” he said.
