Death penalty to Blueline bus drivers?

NEW DELHI: An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind. Many Delhi residents, even those who've been at the receiving end of the city's killer Blueline buses, are against harsh punishments like the death penalty for erring drivers. Instead, they suggest, the licences of such drivers should be taken away and the officials responsible for putting them on the road should also be punished.

The debate began afresh after Tota Ram, father of Ranjeet Kumar who died under the wheels of a reckless Blueline Monday while trying to save his colleague, demanded that its driver be awarded the death penalty.

"We can understand Tota Ram's state of mind. But do you think by hanging 100 Blueline bus drivers, we would solve the problem? We need to find out what is the real problem and who is actually responsible for the accidents," said Sanjay Kaul, who floated the Blueline victims association last year.

The capital's 4,000-strong privately run Blueline bus fleet, notorious for mowing down people and getting away with it, is being phased out but many say this is nothing but an election gimmick as Delhi is due for polls in November.

"We have jokers running the transport department. The main culprits behind these killings are Chief Minister Sheila Dikisht and Transport Minister Haroon Yusuf for allowing Blueline buses to run amok on city roads. They only decided to phase out these buses at a time when they could make them an election issue," Kaul told IANS.

Tempers are running high against the Blueline buses once again. They have claimed 80 lives this year, with the victims in many cases contributing to the meagre incomes of their families.

For instance, Tota Ram's son Ranjeet Kumar was the only educated member of his family. All of 22, he had just joined Barclays Finance and was eagerly looking forward to receiving his first salary which was due Wednesday. However, his life was rudely cut short.

On Monday morning, as Kumar was on his way to work with colleague Shalu Pandit on his bike, another bike came and hit them from behind. As Pandit fell down, Kumar, who had lost his balance, rushed to help her. Just then, a Blueline bus came speeding by and crushed him to death in the Hazrat Nizamuddin area.

These buses, whose drivers often have little training and learn on the job, have maimed many in the capital over the years.

Rajesh Verma, who lost a hand and a leg in such an accident three years ago, said awarding the death sentence was not a solution. "Blueline bus drivers don't kill a person intentionally. In my opinion laws should be made tougher so that they don't get out on bail in 24 hours," Verma said.

"They should be booked under section 304-2 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder and not in the routine 304-A (death due to rash and negligent driving) that fetches a maximum sentence of two years," he added.

This bus fleet is crucial to Delhi's public transport. Delhi Traffic Police statistics said that almost every Blueline bus was fined at least 20 times for offences like rash driving and over-speeding last year, but this failed to make drivers mend their ways.

More than 120 people lost their lives in Blueline bus accidents in 2007.

Most people said corrupt officials and bureaucrats should also be hauled up.

"These incidents of people being crushed under the wheels of the killer fleet show an institutional failure. But by giving the death penalty, we are putting the entire blame on the drivers when the people who put them on the roads in the first place should share equal blame," said Sanjukta Chatterjee, a writer.

"Punish not only the driver for the accident but also corrupt transport officials, the bus owners and the tribe of politicians, many of whom are themselves Blueline bus owners and therefore are not willing to reform the system," Chatterjee said.

Chatterjee went on to say that there should probably be fast track courts to deliver justice in such cases.

Similarly, Pragya Vats, a social activist, said giving the death penalty to erring drivers for killing people on the roads is not the solution.

"The erring driver's licences should be cancelled so that their means of livelihood stands uncertain and they realise what the kin of victims are going through," Vats said.