Team Herald
VASCO: In a tragic accident, a conductor was killed and several passengers were injured when a mini bus travelling from Verna to Vasco overturned at the Queeny Nagar junction along the Verna highway on Thursday evening.
The conductor, identified as Shiva Madar from Birla, died in the mishap, while several passengers sustained injuries. The mini bus was reportedly crowded, carrying mostly workers from the Verna Industrial Estate who were returning home. The conductor was unable to close the flap door as passengers were standing on the footboard.
Of the injured, 13 passengers are undergoing treatment at the Sub-District Hospital, Chicalim, while a few others were referred to the Primary Health Centre at Cansaulim and later discharged.
The accident caused a major traffic jam along the busy Verna highway, as locals and bystanders rushed to assist in rescuing the passengers and helping to get the overturned bus upright. Ambulances were deployed to shift the injured to nearby hospitals, while police arrived at the site to help clear the traffic after the bus was removed from the road.
The Goa Police issued a traffic advisory, asking motorists to use the Cortalim–Chicalim route to reach Vasco and the Dabolim Airport.
Locals who rushed to the site after hearing the screams of passengers blamed the government, particularly the RTO, for failing to ensure bus safety and risking the lives of passengers. “The RTO should be held responsible for allowing buses overloaded beyond capacity. Due to clashing timings and competition for passengers, drivers often drive recklessly, endangering lives,” a local said.
Former Sancoale panchayat member Narayan Naik said that traffic police should be deployed during peak hours to prevent bus overloading. “We always feared the worst, and this has come true today. This should be an eye-opener for the government authorities. The buses are not properly maintained, and I don’t know how they are given fitness certificates. They pose serious safety risks,” he stated.
Injured passenger Sonam Namshikar, currently undergoing treatment at the Sub-District Hospital, Chicalim, said the bus was travelling at high speed. “I don’t know how or why the driver suddenly turned the bus, causing it to overturn. We were standing near the door when he abruptly applied the brakes, and the next thing we knew, the bus had toppled near Queeny Nagar,” she recalled.
Bus owner Feroz Agha stated that he had given the mini bus to a person named Rama to operate. “I don’t even know who the driver was, as Rama was managing the bus. I was unaware of the accident until I began receiving calls from others. The roads are all dug up due to highway work, and drivers must also take care to ensure passenger safety,” he said.
SP (Traffic) Prabodh Shirwaikar, who also rushed to the spot, informed that the ill-fated bus had been issued as many as 14 challans by the RTO and the Traffic Police Cell. “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,” he said.
Cortalim MLA Anton Vas, who also visited the site, stated that the mini bus was packed beyond capacity. He directed police to carry out a thorough enquiry and take appropriate action against the bus owner for endangering human lives.