The worst ever road accident in the history of Telangana and Andhdra Pradesh, which claimed 57 lives on Tuesday has drowned Jagtiyal district and surrounding areas into sea of tears and gloom.
More than 24 hours after the accident in which the Telangana Road Transport Corporation bus overturned and fell into a gorge near Jagtiyal town the people were yet to recover from shock as the bereaved families were cremating their near and dear ones.
The worst affected was Shanivarampeta from where the bus had originated. 15 people of this village were killed in the accident. Many other villages like Tirumalapur, Himmatraopet, Ramsagar and Dabbutimmayapally were also mourning their dead as the bodies were handed over by the authorities at Jagtiyal hospital to the kith and kin.
Facing an unprecedented tragedy neither the medical care facilities were equipped to face a disaster of this magnitude nor they had wherewithal to preserve so many dead bodies. The district ran out of the cold storage facility and the air conditioned coffins to keep the bodies. As a last resort the staff of Government hospital kept the bodies on the ice blocks to keep them safe till they were handed over for cremation.
The administration and the local people were extending a helping hand to the bereaved families in performing the last rites.
Meanwhile medical teams and experts were dispatched from various hospitals of Hyderabad to Jagtiyal and Karimnagar where more than 30 injured were being treated. These teams will help the local doctors in giving better treatment to the injured.
The mortuary at the Jagtiyal hospital was presenting a nightmarish picture as the air was thick with the wailing and cries of the family members of the victims. Thousands of people thronged the place ever since the dead bodies were brought there from the scene of accident on the Ghat Road coming from Kondagutta. Most of the victims were the pilgrims returning after performing puja at the Hanuman temple.
Majority of the victims were women, 23 of them in the age group of 50 to 75. Also a pregnant lady E Neeraja,25, succumbed to injuries at Karimnagar hospital. Another pregnant woman was also injured and she was undergoing treatment.
Meanwhile the worst accident has brought the State of affairs in the Telangana state road transport corporation in to sharp focus as the poor condition of the bus was also being blamed for the tragedy.
Those in the know of the happenings in the RTC allege that many buses were not fit to be run. “While ultra modern and luxury buses are run on the major routes linking important cities and towns, the buses on rural routes are pathetic”, admitted a retired official of RTC. “Every part of such bus makes sound”, he said.
While the top officials insist that buses were run only when they are certified as fit for operation, others allege that such certificates were “managed”.
Principal Secretary, RTC Sunil Sharma admitted that there were at least 1,000 buses which were a decade old but added that they were maintained regularly and run after they are certified as fit.
Another allegation was that duplicate, cheap quality and old spare parts were fitted in the buses on rural routes. Many drivers also complain of the condition of buses as well as the roads. “Our complaints fall on deaf ears and are ignored”, a driver said on condition of anonymity.
While the real cause of the accident was expected to come out in the probe which was underway, many in the RTC suspect that the brakes of the ill fated bus might not have worked effectively. The bus had started operating in 2007 and it had logged nearly 15 lakh kms against the maximum limit of 12 lakh kms.
The Ghat road from Kondagattu was also picture of apathy as there were no proper sign to warn about the condition and sharp turns. There were no barricade even where there were deep gorge and the speed breakers lacked proper color to highlight them.
Rules were frequently bent and corners were cut in the name of savings. With the fuel bill skyrocketing the bus on the particular route from Kondagattu was encouraged to take a detour. Instead of a safer bypass the bus was being routed through the Ghat road which was shorter by 5 kms and could have saved some fuel, drivers said.
Human error was also blamed for the Tuesday morning horror. It was said that the driver M Srinivas was inexperienced and recently transferred to the route.
Now it has turned out that he was a senior driver with 30 years experience and was recipient of Safety Award on Independence Day last month for his driving skills. Srinivas who had applied for leave on health ground could not get it sanctioned and attended the duty for the last time. He lost both his legs in the accident and later died in the hospital due to loss of blood.