The incident occurred on Wednesday when the bus (route no 22) was on its way to Pydhonie from Marol. Ten people, including the bus driver and conductor, were injured after the BEST bus rammed into a dumper truck from the rear near Khodadad Circle
This picture has been used for representational purpose
The BEST bus driver, who was injured in a road accident near Dadar on Wednesday, succumbed to his injuries on Friday morning.
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The 52-year-old driver Rajendra Sudam Kale succumbed to his injuries at 10.52 am on Friday, according to Dr. Randhir Singh, Assistant Medical Officer, Sion Hospital.
The incident occurred on Wednesday when the bus (route no 22) was on its way to Pydhonie from Marol. Ten people, including the bus driver and conductor, were injured after the BEST bus rammed into the rear of a dumper truck near Khodadad Circle.
Of the ten injured, five of them, including three women passengers, the driver and the conductor were critical. According to a BEST spokesperson, eight people were admitted to Sion Hospital and two others left for home refusing treatment. The BEST oversaw the hospitalisation of all injured commuters.
"Prima facie the bus was in good condition. There were no adverse reports about the bus from the bus depot and its log book. It was a BEST-owned bus and the driver was experienced," the spokesperson said.
Also read: Mumbai: Eight injured as BEST bus rams into dumper truck in Dadar
The Matunga police had registered an offence against Kale for rash driving.
A police CCTV footage on day of the incident shows a speeding BEST bus ramming into a dumper truck from behind at a traffic signal on Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Road around 7.15 am. Due to the impact, a passenger standing near the open door fell on the road while other passengers jumped out.
BEST officials said that the bus is damaged so much that it was difficult to decode immediately what exactly went wrong.
When asked if it was a brake failure, BEST chairman said that he had ordered a probe into the incident. "At this point, we do not know what exactly happened. He was a senior and an experienced driver. I have asked for a detailed report to find out what happened,’’ he added.
NGO Aapli BEST Aplysathi alleged that the yellow buses, one of which was involved in the accident on Wednesday, were procured by the Maharashtra government under Tejaswini scheme as special buses for women. Since women commuters did not use the buses much and it used to run empty, all commuters were permitted.
"A lot of employees have been complaining about the bus quality. Also spares of these buses are not available," the NGO alleged.
The BEST spokesperson refuted the allegations and said that there were no issues reported about them.
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