TEAM HERALD
VASCO: An unscheduled bus stop led to a fatal road mishap when a beggar was killed by a passenger bus near the Vasco JMFC court on Tuesday morning.
According to some eyewitnesses, the incident took place as a Margao-Vasco bus (GA-06-2039) had stopped to drop passengers near the court.
An elderly beggar, Hiram Powar, a native of Bijapur (Karnataka), who suffered from a hunchback, tried to cross the road from the front side of the bus.
The bus driver failed to notice Powar crossing the road and started the vehicle to proceed towards the city bus stop, which is barely 20 metres from the accident spot. Powar was knocked down and he died on the spot.
Others present at the site blamed the bus operators for making unscheduled stops, which has led to such accidents.
The eyewitnesses alleged that the bus drivers instead of allowing the passengers to alight at the main city bus stand simply halt anywhere in the city and then rush to the bus stand for their next trip. They further alleged that the traffic police have also failed in controlling the menace of unscheduled bus stops.
Vasco police later arrested the bus driver, Ahmed Sheik, for rash and negligent driving.
