Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Aug 30: KSRTC has clarified that the accident which occurred on Thursday near Talapady on National Highway 66, at the Karnataka–Kerala border, was caused due to the negligent driving of the bus driver and not due to brake failure.
According to officials, the Mangaluru–1st unit driver, Nijaligappa Chalavadi, was operating the bus from Kasargod to Mangaluru. At around 1:45 pm, while approaching the Talapady toll gate on a downhill stretch, he drove the bus at excessive speed. To avoid hitting an auto-rickshaw, he applied the brakes, but the bus collided with the auto, skidded, and overturned.
Panicked, the driver abandoned the vehicle and fled. As a result, the unattended bus rolled backward on the slope, hitting a parked auto-rickshaw and two pedestrians who were waiting for a bus.
Clarifying rumours circulating on social media and some media outlets regarding poor vehicle maintenance, KSRTC stated that the vehicle had no brake failure or technical fault.
The corporation confirmed that all its vehicles have internal insurance coverage. From the accident relief fund, Rs 1 lac each has been provided as immediate/interim compensation to the legal heirs of the deceased auto passengers. The two injured pedestrians have been admitted to a private hospital, and all medical expenses are being borne by KSRTC.
The accident-hit vehicle had recently undergone FC renewal on August 26 and received RTO fitness certification. It was re-deployed on the Mangaluru–Kasargod route the next day, August 27. Before the accident, the bus had already completed 9 round trips covering nearly 540 km. The mishap occurred during its 10th trip (Kasargod–Mangaluru).
A KSRTC technical team inspected the vehicle at the accident site and confirmed it was in good condition with no faults. Furthermore, another driver safely drove the bus from the accident spot to the police station.
In conclusion, the senior divisional controller of KSRTC, Mangaluru, reiterated in an official statement that the mishap occurred solely due to the driver’s reckless and negligent driving, not because of brake failure or any technical defect.