Thursday’s tragic accident at Queeny Nagar junction along the Verna stretch of the NH 66 is still fresh in the mind, particularly after the toll rose to two on Friday. The accident, which injured several passengers and killed the conductor aboard the bus, occurred when the packed vehicle – which was mostly carrying workers from the Verna Industrial Estate – overturned while on its way to Vasco. Witnesses said the bus was so packed that the conductor was unable to close the door flap as passengers were crammed even on the footboard.
Not only did the accident cause a severe traffic snarl along the already busy Verna highway but also evoked strong reactions from a whole spectrum of people who blamed the government in general and the regional transport office (RTO) in particular, for failing to ensure that all passenger buses registered with it adhere to the prescribed safety norms to protect the lives of passengers.
“Due to clashing timings and competition for passengers, drivers often drive recklessly, endangering lives,” one local said. “Also, the RTO should be held responsible for allowing buses to get loaded with passengers beyond capacity.”
Shockingly, the owner of the bus said that he had given the vehicle to another person to operate and that he didn’t know who the driver was. He also claimed that he was unaware of the accident until he began receiving calls. What is most appalling is that the bus owner attempted to deflect responsibility by stating that the roads were not in great condition due to ongoing work along the highway, and, as a perfunctory gesture, went on to say, “Drivers must also take care to ensure passenger safety.”
It was later revealed that the ill-fated bus had already been in the dock several times before. Superintendent of police (traffic), Prabodh Shirwaikar, came on record to say that as many as 14 challans had been issued against the owner of the bus by both the RTO and the police traffic cell too. “This is under district police investigation, but from a traffic point of view, we carry out enforcement on vehicles and will take the most stringent action against any vehicles that do not obey road discipline,” Shirwaikar told the media.
Cortalim MLA Anton Vas, who visited the site of the accident on Thursday, confirmed to the media that the bus was packed beyond capacity. He also told the local police to conduct an inquiry and take appropriate action against the bus owner for endangering human lives.
The authorities and the government representatives appear to have made all the right noises following the Queeny Nagar accident, but most citizens have begun reconciling to the fact that hardly anything will change on the ground. The tragic accident is a mirror to what could happen on any other Goan road as passenger buses run by private owners across the length and breadth of the state are a law unto themselves. Many of these vehicles are not only operating beyond their prescribed lifespans but are also in extremely poor condition, posing serious risks to the lives of passengers and other motorists too.
Apart from that, the operators of such buses stop at nothing to ensure that every square inch of space on the bus is occupied by a person, sometimes cramming in as many as 30-35 standing passengers as opposed to the permissible limit of say 10. This invariably leads to people standing on the footboard of the bus – akin to passengers hanging on the doors of local trains in Mumbai – which is undoubtedly a recipe for disaster. Add to that the recklessness with which the drivers steer their respective vehicles in order to squeeze in one extra trip or to deprive the competition of passengers, and it is all but certain that such impunity can exist only because there is no fear of the law.
It is, therefore, time that the authorities concerned seriously address these and many other related issues pertaining to local passenger buses operated by private owners, lest the government wants another Queeny Nagar disaster to occur elsewhere.