Catastrophe averted after ST bus driver collapses at wheel

Passengers on a Maharashtra State Transport Asiad bus at Chembur had a close shave after the driver of the Pune-Borivli bus collapsed at the wheel of a cardiac arrest. The bus rammed onto a divider and came to a halt, but with all the 32 passengers safe inside.

Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation managing director Deepak Kapoor told DNA that they are now trying to build a medical database of every driver employed with them.

According to the police, the 55-year-old Chandrakant Ghodke started from Swargate bus depot at 5pm and reached SumanNagar junction near Chembur around 9pm on Saturday. But just as he reached Chembur, Ghodke collapsed on the wheel, and the bus lost balance and was about to topple, but it struck passing garbage van, rammed into the divider and came to a halt.

“All 42,000 drivers are currently undergoing mandatory medical check up at all 248 depots where medical officers on our rolls are taking their medical check ups. This campaign will be over by March 15 .So far, 74 pc drivers have completed it. For the first time we, are creating this basic database of medical issues of all drivers as a part of the system improvement,’’ MSRTC managing director Deepak Kapoor told DNA.

The police said that had the garbage van not come in between, the bus would have toppled and hurt passengers seriously. Commuters expressed fears that had the incident occurred when the bus was speeding on the expressway or traversing the ghats, it could have led to a major disaster.