The recent tragic bus fire accident near Kurnool has drawn strong reactions from three state governments. While the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana initially suspected negligence or poor bus fitness as the cause, the Karnataka government has raised the possibility of a mischief angle.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, D. K. Shivakumar, reacted to the incident, suspecting that there might be mischief or negligence behind it. He demanded a high-level inquiry into the accident where 19 passengers were burnt alive.
Speaking to reporters at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, D.K. Shivakumar made several key comments. He recalled, “Even last week, a private bus going from Bengaluru to Hyderabad caught fire within the limits of Andhra Pradesh. When I recently visited Raichur, people there showed me the video. As soon as the bus caught fire, a district president from our party held the driver and shouted, warning everyone. All the passengers immediately got down. There were about 20 medical students on that bus. Fortunately, everyone escaped with minor injuries. However, their laptops were burnt.”
He alleged that despite such a serious incident, officials did not take any precautions, and the police also ignored the matter. Since the operator of the latest bus involved in the accident is from Bengaluru, Shivakumar stated that he has instructed the State Transport Minister, Ramalinga Reddy, and Home Minister, G. Parameshwara, to focus on the issue. He also urged the Andhra Pradesh government to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the tragedy and take strict measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
Strict Action If Negligence is Proven: Chandrababu Naidu
As the incident occurred in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu immediately held a video conference with high-level officials. He ordered a comprehensive inquiry. He made it clear that strict action would be taken if the inquiry proves that negligence was the cause of the accident. He reiterated that his government gives top priority to the safety of the public. He asked the officials to submit a report with complete details of the accident-hit bus’s registration, fitness, and permit.
Manslaughter Charges on Bus Owners if Lives are Lost Due to Negligence: Ponnam Prabhakar
Meanwhile, Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar issued a strong warning, stating that if passengers lose their lives due to the negligence of private travel owners, they will be charged with murder, arrested, and sent to jail. He made it clear that they would not tolerate anyone playing with the lives of passengers. He announced financial assistance of ₹5 lakh each to the families of the Telangana natives who died in the Kurnool tragedy and ₹2 lakh each to the injured. He assured that all measures would be taken to ensure better medical care for the injured. Ponnam Prabhakar also mentioned that a meeting with the Transport Ministers of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka would be held soon.
19 People Died in the Accident
According to preliminary information, the Vemuri Kaveri Travels bus, which was travelling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru, met with a horrific accident near Kurnool. The bus, which started from Hyderabad at 10:30 PM on Thursday night, reached Chinnamtekuru in Kurnool district at around 3:30 AM on Friday morning. There, the bus hit a motorbike and dragged it for about 300 meters. As the bike got stuck under the bus, a fire broke out suddenly. The fire spread throughout the bus, which was gutted in seconds. Nineteen passengers in the bus died, while the remaining passengers managed to escape with their lives.
Deputy Editor, Prime Post
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It’s very sad that 19 people have lost lives in bus caught fire incident. A high level enquiry should be switched into this ghastly incident. Now-a-days people are getting scared to travel by bus and not sure to reach the destiny alive. A thorough enquiry should take place in this regard and severe action should be taken against people who are guilty.