Maharashtra: When will it stop? Another mishap on Samruddhi Expressway

The bus in which the passengers were travelling

Less than a fortnight after the accident on the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway that killed 25 people, another mishap on it left 19 people, including an 11-year-old boy, injured. There were 30 passengers on board a luxury bus that collided with a trailer from behind it around 2.30 am on Wednesday near Aurangabad. The bus was going from Nagpur to Pune and was about to exit Aurangabad while heading towards Ahmednagar.

"It happened near Sawangi when the bus accelerated and collided with the truck in front of it. We suspect the bus driver fell asleep. A case has been registered against the travel company, and the driver will be taken into custody once his treatment is completed," said PI Ravindra Nilenge of Fulambri police station, located 20 km from the accident site.

The passengers

Out of the injured passengers, 12 were transported by ambulances to Ghati Hospital, where they received first-aid and were discharged. "None of them had any major injuries. No one was admitted," said Dr Vijay Kalyankar, the Medical Superintendent of the hospital.

The remaining eight injured individuals were admitted to Aurangabad's Medicover Hospital. They included the 11-year-old boy. "While most of them have been diagnosed with mild hairline fractures and spinal trauma, the injuries are not severe. However, two individuals may need to undergo surgery, but everyone is in a stable condition," said Dr Anthony Patole, CMO of Medicover Hospital.

Addressing the recurring accidents on the expressway, Additional Director General (Traffic) Ravinder Kumar Singal, said overspeeding, driver fatigue and tyre bursts were contributing factors. Singal emphasised the importance of seat belts, stating they have saved lives in such unfortunate incidents. Regarding the incident on Wednesday, Singal said, "Considering that the road is huge, there is no rational reason for a collision from behind, apart from the driver's sleepiness."

Singal proposed implementing a log-in system, similar to those used abroad, where drivers are required to log in their driving hours. This system will enable road authorities to monitor and regulate the duration of driver shifts. "It will make it mandatory for the driver to log in their license when required. Through the system road authorities will understand how many hours he has been driving," Singal said.

Truck driver blamed

The manager of Khurana Travels (Aurangabad), Devendra Sawant, whose bus the passengers were in, blamed the truck driver for the accident, claiming that he was driving at 120 kmph instead of the maximum speed limit of 80. The police have refuted the allegation.

Sawant also expressed concerns about the frequency of accidents and its impact on his bus company. "Something needs to be done about these frequent accidents. First, the company faced losses during the pandemic, and now reports of accidents on the expressway is scaring passengers away," he said.

Following the accident on July 1, the expressway control room experienced an increase in phone calls from the public seeking information about amenities, petrol pumps, and safe stopping points along the route.

25
No of people killed in previous mishap

Inputs from PTI