Driver killed, 28 injured as KSRTC super-deluxe bus rams tree in Kochi

KOCHI

: The driver was killed and at least 28 others were injured after a super-deluxe bus of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) lost control and rammed into a tree on the median near Chakkaraparambu here in the early hours of Monday. According to the Palarivattom police, the accident occurred between Vyttilla and Palarivattom on the National Highway around 4.15 am. The bus heading to Kozhikode had left the Thiruvananthapuram depot at around 11.45 pm on Sunday.


The deceased was identified as Arun Sukumar (45), of Pazhayakada in Thiruvananthapuram. The front side of the bus was damaged from the impact and retrieving the driver from the cabin was challenging, according to sources. Sukumar was rushed to the hospital, but doctors declared him ‘brought dead’.

The injured passengers were admitted to two private hospitals in the city. The bus conductor Suresh Raj (50) of Kanjiramkulam and a passenger Rajitha UK of Thiruvananthapuram sustained critical injuries. Suresh Raj has a fracture on the back of his head, and Rajitha, who suffered a head injury, has internal bleeding as per police sources. Both have been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. At least 25 passengers were discharged after treatment. Residents of the locality alerted the police and the fire force after the accident occurred.

‘Long services will have crew change’

Transport minister A K Saseendran, who visited the bus accident spot in Palarivattom, said that KSRTC will effect crew change in all long-distant services in a phased manner from today. He said that either the crew will be changed mid-route or a conductor-cum-driver will be deployed in each bus. “In no case will a driver be made to drive for more than eight hours at a stretch,” the minister said.

The decision was in the wake of the suspicion that the driver was fatigued. Saseendran said some workers had earlier approached the court against the implementation of a driver-cum-conductor arrangement in KSRTC buses ignoring the risks.

“The possibility of expanding the crew-change system to all long-distance buses will be explored immediately. Working hours of KSRTC employees will also be regulated as per Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961,” he said.

Saseendran also said that the duty hours of the deceased driver will be checked to know whether he was doing overtime.