16 students, 2 teachers hurt as NWKRTC bus overturns after ramming a road divider near Fountain Circle; they had arrived on a tour on Monday night

Mysuru: As many as 18 people including 16 students, who had come on a tour from Belagavi district, suffered injuries after a North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) bus they were travelling in, overturned near Fountain Circle on Mysuru-Bengaluru Road in city on Tuesday night.

Those injured are being treated at Avant BKG Hospitals near Bogadi Outer-Ring Road (ORR) Junction and some among them have been discharged and shifted to the hotel, where they are accommodated, it is learnt.

The accident occurred as the bus driver reportedly lost control over the steering and rammed into the road divider, while proceeding towards LIC Divisional Office Circle from Fountain Circle. A wheel of the bus drove over the road divider and hit the light pole installed on the median, before tilting aside, it is said.

Those injured were the students of Shantiniketan Public School, Khanapur in Belagavi. Fortunately, they escaped with minor injuries, as no other vehicles were passing through when the accident took place, according to an eyewitness account.

The students had come on an excursion in two buses on Monday night. On Tuesday morning, they visited tourist spots here and were returning to a hotel in Bannimantap, where they had been put up, when the accident occurred at around 7.30 pm.

Narasimharaja (NR) Traffic Police who rushed to the spot, swung into action and regulated the movement of traffic from LIC Circle towards Fountain Circle.

They shifted the injured children to hospital and lifted the bus with the help of a crane and shifted it to KSRTC Depot in Bannimantap.

City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, who visited the spot, said: “A total of 35 students were on school excursion in a bus that overturned. They are being treated at various hospitals in the city.”

While ACP (Traffic) Parashuramappa, NR Traffic Police Inspector Rekhabai, NR Police Inspector M.N. Lakshmikanth Talawar and the Sub-Inspectors, camped on the spot and oversaw the clearance of the light pole and restoration of the cable, with the help of Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) Limited personnel.

KSRTC Divisional Controller (Rural) B. Srinivas, Divisional Traffic Officer Dinesh, Bus Stand In-charge Hemanth Kumar and other officers supervised the shifting of the bus that met with the accident, to Bannimantap depot.

Unscientific Divider

Following the accident involving a NWKRTC bus, there are mixed versions about the reasons behind the same.

The general version is the reckless driving and another is the unscientific road divider, as attributed by the public, causing frequent accidents.

After passing through Fountain Circle towards LIC Office Circle, the divider is merely half-feet above the road level. As the road winds through, the height of the concrete divider has been increased, but without any reflector to caution the vehicular riders. It leads to accidents at times, for the divider going unnoticed by the vehicle riders. Though the accident that occurred yesterday appears big, fortunately none of those travelling in the bus suffered grievous injuries.

Learning a lesson, the City Police should take corrective steps at least now, to check the recurrence of accidents in the future, appeal the public.