VASCO
Traffic SP Prabodh Shirwaikar revealed that the bus involved in the accident at Verna already had a history of traffic violations.
“The bus had 14 challans issued by the traffic and RTO departments. We will take the strictest action against vehicles violating safety norms,” said Shirwaikar.
A bus conductor was killed while about 28 passengers were injured on Tuesday evening when a minibus travelling from Verna to Vasco overturned at the Queeny Nagar junction on the Verna highway.
He added that enforcement would continue, especially against buses found racing or flouting traffic discipline.
Bus owner Feroz Agha distanced himself from the incident, stating the vehicle was being operated by another party.
“I had handed over the bus to someone named Rama. I don’t even know who was driving it. The roads are dug up, but drivers must be cautious,” Agha said.
Former Sancoale panch Narayan Naik said the tragedy was due to unchecked overloading and insisted on deployment of traffic police during peak hours.
“This is an eye-opener. Traffic police must be deployed from8 am to 11 am and from 4 pm to 7 pm to monitor such buses. The bus was speeding and lost control after hitting a dug-up patch,” said Naik.
A local resident held the authorities like the RTO and Traffic police responsible for failing to monitor overloaded buses.
“Who is responsible for this accident? The RTO and traffic officials have turned a blind eye. Buses often race for passengers with people dangerously hanging at the doors,” said the resident.
