Killer buses mow down 13 in five months

The figures accessed by DNA from the Ahmedabad city police department show that in the past five months, 403 accidents by city buses  were reported, in which 13 people died. As against this, 973 accidents were reported in the period between April-August 2008, which resulted in  the death of 29 people.

While 197 accidents were caused by the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport System (AMTS) buses, private CNG buses met with 206 accidents in the past five months. Figures also show that between April and March 2008, 486 accidents were met by AMTS buses, causing the death of 8 people, while 487 accidents by private buses were registered and 11 people were reported dead in the mishaps.

This means that in over a year’s time, around 1,376 accidents have been reported and 42 victims were reported dead. It is worth noting that there are three major accident points in the city, Ashram road, Nava Vadaj road and Ranip. The traffic department officials are now keeping vigil at all important routes to avert any mishaps.

Meanwhile, when contacted, chairman of the AMTS, Pravin Patel, said they will take strict action against drivers to avoid further accidents. “If the accident is fatal, we immediately remove the driver from the job. If the driver is hired by private contractor we make sure that he is removed,” said Patel. Even if the accident is minor, private contractor is warned of rustication of contract if they do not train their drivers properly, he said.

 However, Patel admitted the fact that there is a loophole in the system. “We cannot ensure that the driver who is sacked (from one contractor) does not get a job with another contractor. But we will start ensuring that soon,” added Patel.