KSRTC electric bus collides against four-wheeler; commuters cite overspeeding, road engineering defect

Hunsur: A horrific accident occurred between a four-wheeler and a KSRTC Electric Bus, resulting in the tragic death of four labourers and injuries to five individuals, including the bus driver. The incident occurred around 8.30 am at the turning in front of the RTO Office in Hunsur town.

The incident occurred when both the vehicles, coming in opposite directions, took a turn in front of the RTO Office in Hunsur town. The vehicles collided head-on. Eyewitnesses and the Police report indicate that the collision happened at a turn, with the four-wheeler on its designated side of the road.

The speeding bus, however, veered significantly to the opposite side of the road, leading to the collision.

The Bengaluru Depot KSRTC Electric Bus (KA-51-AJ-0279) left Virajpet at about 7 am to Bengaluru while the four-wheeler (KA-12-P-1968), carrying nine labourers to a ginger farm in Periyapatna, left H.D. Kote at about 8.30 am. There were nine persons in the jeep.

The deceased have been identified as Manu (28), from Dammanakatte village, who was driving the four-wheeler, Lokesh (35), son of Mudaiah, Rajesh (38), son of Devaraj and Somesh (40), son of Ramaiah, all from Jiara village in H.D. Kote taluk. Manu’s father, Gopal, a labour contractor and owner of the Mahindra four-wheeler, was also traveling in the vehicle and fortunately escaped unharmed.

Those injured are 29-year-old Ravi, son of Ravikumar and 45-year-old Sannaswamy, son of Doddaiah of Jiara village, 30-year-old Ningaraju, son of Thimmaiah of Hosamala village, Antharasanthe Hobli, 30-year-old Kariyappa, son of Puttaiah of Nuralakuppe village in H.D. Kote taluk and bus driver Kumaraswamy.

While Kumaraswamy and Ningaraju have been shifted to K.R. Hospital in Mysuru, others  with injuries on their face and head have been admitted to Hunsur Government Hospital.

The collision was so severe that one labourer’s body was lodged inside the four-wheeler, while the bleeding bodies of three others were thrown onto the road. The four-wheeler was mangled and the electric bus suffered damage near driver’s seat.  

Hunsur Town Inspector Dharmendra, along with staff Yogesh, Anil Kumar and others, arrived at the scene, conducted necessary procedures, including mahazar, shifted the injured to Hunsur Hospital and bodies to the mortuary. A case was registered.

KSRTC officers, who visited the spot, handed over exgratia cheques of Rs. 25,000 each to four families of the deceased. Further compensation as per norms will be handed over as per the due legal process.

Bus passengers made to wait for two hours

Following the accident, passengers of KSRTC Electric Bus, primarily office-goers, endured a nearly two-hour wait for KSRTC officials to arrange an alternative bus. 

The delay caused frustration among passengers,  considering the biometric attendance system in most offices. With the need to register their thumb impressions on time, passengers faced the risk of losing a day’s salary due to the prolonged wait.

Expressing their discontent, passengers were heard criticising KSRTC officials in providing a bus. Relief came at around 10.30 am when another KSRTC bus arrived and allowed them to continue their journey.

Another accident at same spot: Road engineering flaw suspected

When Mysuru Superintendent of Police (SP) Seema Latkar and ASP Dr. B.N. Nandini visited the accident site to assess the situation, local residents and commuters expressed concerns to the SP about KSRTC bus drivers overspeeding and a perceived flaw in road engineering at the location, emphasising the need for urgent rectification.

 Dr. Nandini promptly contacted the PWD officers, urging them to address the issue by implementing measures such as widening and other rectification methods. Subsequently, PWD officers visited the site and assured corrective action. 

Adding credence to the complaints about the road engineering fault, another accident occurred at the same spot around 10.30 am. This accident involved an Innova and an ISUZU goods vehicle.  The Innova was travelling from Kodagu towards Mysuru, while the goods vehicle was headed from Mysuru to Gonikoppa. The vehicles collided, but there was no loss of life or major damage. The owners of both vehicles reached a compromise and left the scene without registering a case.