TSRTC buses turn out to be `killer on wheels’; officials say its accident ratio is lowest in India

Hyderabad: From hitting a woman on the road to mowing down a student, TSRTC buses are increasingly becoming killer on roads.

For the last few months, Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has been at the center of a storm after its buses mowed down several people in a spate of road accidents.

On September 13, a woman was run over by a TSRTC bus while she was crossing the road at Kothaguda crossroads in Madhapur. The deceased, identified as 25-year-old Kalua Madhavi, was struck by a speeding RTC electric bus as she crossed the street from Kothaguda crossroad toward Cyber Towers after concluding her shift in the evening.

The incident, captured on CCTV footage, showed the victim had sustained grievous injuries and was immediately taken to a private hospital in the vicinity from where she was shifted to Gandhi Hospital. Madhapur Inspector D Krishna said that the victim succumbed to her injuries on September 15. Madhapur police arrested the driver Bandela Pedda Sanjeevarayudu (53), and initiated an investigation.

On June 14, a female intermediate student in Hyderabad, died after getting trapped in the wheels while trying to get off the bus at Yousufguda. Identified as Mehreen, she was studying in her first year of Intermediate at Masters Junior College in Yousufguda, Hyderabad. A case was booked under Section 304-A (death by negligence) of the IPC by the police.

Speaking to NewsMeter, a TSRTC official said that they have the lowest accident ratio of 0.07 percent, which is very low compared to other RTCs in the country.

When asked about the action taken by the RTC on drivers involved in fatal accidents, the official said the RTC vigilance team visits the accident spot to investigate. Until then, the driver would be placed under suspension.

“If the driver operates a hired bus and is involved in an accident, the RTC will direct the owners not to allow them to drive busses until the investigation is complete. If the driver's guilt is proven, the court would award the punishment,” he said.

The official said that the severity of the collision determines whether negligent drivers will face legal action. If the diver causes a fatality, they are booked under Section 304(a) of the IPC; if they cause serious injuries to the victims, they are recorded under Section 338; if they cause minor injuries, they are booked under Section 337 of the IPC, he said.

The drivers are booked under section 279 in cases where property is harmed. If the driver is found guilty of driving while intoxicated (DD), they are arrested under the Drunken Driving Act. Furthermore, the management assigns its investigation personnel to conduct a departmental probe based on police reports, he added.

The official further stated that the driver may be immediately terminated from duty, suspended, issued a memo, reassigned, or dismissed altogether based on the circumstances and the results of the investigation. Commenting on the recent accidents involving the RTC drivers, he said that an NGO is assisting the RTC drivers on how to adhere to the traffic rules and avoid fatal accidents.