Buldhana bus accident: Maha govt should be booked for culpable homicide, says State Congress chief Nana Patole

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A case of culpable homicide should be registered against the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government for the Samruddhi Expressway accident that claimed 25 lives, state Congress president Nana Patole said on Saturday.

He also demanded an independent audit of the expressway, PTI reported.

Patole in a statement accused the government of constructing a "death highway" at the cost of Rs 54,000 crore and charged that the Shinde government got Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the expressway in a hurry and with much fanfare.

"Accidents are happening every day since the opening of this expressway. There are many complaints about it, but the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government does not seem to be paying attention to it," the Congress leader said.

The bus tragedy was not an accident, but a result of government apathy, he alleged, demanding that a case of culpable homicide be registered against the Shinde-Fadnavis government.

While the government keeps beating drums about having done a great job with the expressway, nearly 300 accidents have taken place on the structure in the last six months since its opening and a death has been reported in every accident, Patole claimed.

"The expressway has brought prosperity only to a few people, but has become a death trap. A lot needs to be done in terms of safety on this expressway. It is necessary to eliminate the errors. Such unfortunate incidents can be avoided only if the government conducts a special audit of this road. But the government is only happy to take credit through publicity," he said.

Also read: Samruddhi Expressway bus accident: Pawar taunts Fadnavis with 'devendrawasi' jibe over deaths

Norms laid down by the National Highways Authority (NHA) for expressways have not been observed, he alleged.

According to experts, road hypnosis causes accidents, but nothing has been done about that. There are no hotels and toilets for long distance travel on the road and this inconveniences drivers and passengers and the incidence of road hypnosis is increasing, Patole said.

"The government is basking in the fact that it has constructed a highway where one can travel from Nagpur to Mumbai in 12 hours. Even now, the government should open its eyes and take all kinds of measures to prevent accidents on the Samruddhi Expressway," the Congress leader said, adding that the issue will be raised during the monsoon session of the state Assembly. (PTI)