Staff Reporter
Vasco
One person was dead and around 25 persons were injured after a overcrowded private bus overturned at Queeny Nagar on the Verna–Birla–Vasco
route on Thursday.
Police said that the bus driver, Akbar Mehboob Goji, was found to be intoxicated at the time of
the accident.
The incident occurred at around 4.30 pm near a hotel, police said.
The driver, confused by the changes in road layout due to the ongoing flyover construction, abruptly applied the brakes, lost control of the speeding vehicle, and caused the bus to overturn on its side, police said.
The front and rear glass panes shattered, and panicked passengers attempted to escape through the broken windows.
Conductor Shiva Madar, 23, a resident of Birla, died on the spot. He is suspected to have been near the door and hit the road when the bus overturned.
Several passengers sustained serious injuries and were rushed to Goa Medical College (GMC) and Hospital in Bambolim, Chicalim Sub District Hospital, and a facility in Cansaulim. Some were shifted in private vehicles as ambulances reportedly arrived late.
Two employees of a private company in Verna, who were standing near the bus door, were seriously injured when dozens of passengers fell over
them during the chaos.
Three patients who are a serious condition are admitted at GMC.
Shanti Devi, a 30-year-old passenger, described the daily struggle
faced by commuters.
“The incident occurred when we were returning from work at 4 pm. Most buses on this route are driven rashly. They are overcrowded, and the drivers and conductors are often inebriated. We face a harrowing time travelling in these buses, but have no choice but to risk our safety,” she said.
SP South Traffic Cell Prabodh Shirvoikar said that the bus, named Mohammed Ali, had a notorious record.
“There are 14 challans against this bus from the RTO and traffic police. Indiscipline on the road will not be tolerated, and violators will not be
spared,” he said.
Racing, overspeeding and drunken driving are allegedly common among buses on the Birla–Verna route, especially during peak hours when factory workers travel home.
Senior officials including Mormugao DySP Gurudas Kadam, Traffic DySP Rajendra Prabhudesai, Verna PI Anand Shirodkar, Vasco PI Vaibhav Naik, and Mormugao PI Sherrif Jaques visited the site for a preliminary inquiry.
A case has been booked under the MV Act, while the bus driver has been detained. Police were yet to register an FIR till late evening.
Further investigations are under way by Verna police.
