The three-member committee, headed by the Uttar Pradesh Transport Commissioner, looking into the bus accident on Yamuna Expressway that killed 29 people on Monday, submitted its report on Tuesday to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The committee concluded that the driver dozed off, resulting in the bus jumping off the parapet and falling into a nullah in Agra on Monday morning.
Transport Minister Swatantra Deo Singh on Wednesday confirmed the cause behind the accident and said that corrective measures are being taken to ensure such incidents are not repeated.
The minister, however, ducked a query on how the committee reached the conclusion that the mishap took place because the driver dozed off. Sources, however, said that the committee had spoken to a few passengers, who said that the driver had washed his face two or three times after crossing the toll plaza.
In addition to the transport commissioner, the panel consisted of Commissioner of Police, Agra and IG Agra range.
The minister also said that to prevent such accidents, suggestions from all quarters are being taken and officials have been asked to bring transparency in allotting duties to the drivers and the conductors. The minister also said that orders have also been given to check if there was any fault in the vehicle tracking system and assured that those found guilty will be punished.
On Union Urban Development Minister Nitin Gadkari's statement in Parliament that nitrogen gas in tires should be made compulsory, the transport minister said that the idea would be studied in detail and if there are no hurdles, the same could be implemented in the state.
The committee in its report, (a copy of the report's relevant portion is with Zee media) also gave several suggestions on how to prevent such accidents. Among several suggestions, the committee recommended the deployment of two drivers on long routes. Interestingly, earlier there was a provision of two drivers if the distance to be travelled in one stretch was more than 250 km. However, it was later increased to 500 km, with one break of 30 minutes.
The minister said that the provision is very much in place.
The committee recommended provisions such as e-challan for vehicles flouting the MV Act rules, action against vehicles with defective backlights, providing radium tapes, which can be pasted on to vehicles, at toll plazas, breath analysers at toll plazas, announcements of fog alerts at various spots, cutting down maximum speed limit on expressways from 100 kmph to an appropriate speed during fog conditions, proper display of police helpline numbers such as UP Dial 100 and WhatsApp numbers on highways and on toll plaza receipts and more rumblers.
Officials from all concerned departments would be holding a meeting on Thursday to work on the recommendations, the transport minister said.
250km vs 500km
Among several suggestions, the committee recommended deployment of two drivers on long routes. Interestingly, earlier there was a provision of two drivers if the distance to be travelled in one stretch was more than 250 km. However, it was later increased to 500 km, with one break of 30 minutes.
—Zee Media Newsroom
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