Maha: Private Bus Involved in Expressway Crash That Killed 25 Was Issued Challans for Various Violations in Past

The private bus involved in the Samruddhi Expressway accident in Maharashtra killing 25 passengers had been fined for violations including an expired fitness certificate, missing fire extinguisher and blocked emergency exit during February 2021-June 2023, as per data.

The sleeper coach bus rammed into a pole on the expressway in Buldhana district while on its way to Pune on July 1, hit a road divider, and caught fire as it fell on its left side. While 25 passengers were charred to death, eight others, including the driver and his assistant, survived.

From February 5, 2021, till June 12, 2023, the bus which mainly plied on the Nagpur-Pune route, was slapped with at least seven challans for different violations by RTO offices in Nagpur rural, Yavatmal, Aurangabad, Pune, Ahmednagar, and Shrirampur, as per the records of e-challans available online.

In the latest challan issued by Yavatmal RTO (Regional Transport Office) on June 12, 2023, a fine of Rs 500 was imposed for the broken windscreen of the bus, apart from other violations including “stage carriage operation” (picking up passengers from multiple locations) and carrying excess passengers, the data shows.

Incidentally, this challan was settled by paying the total fine of Rs 11,200, including Rs 500 for the broken windscreen, on July 1, the day of the tragedy.

However, this was not the first time that action was taken against the bus for a damaged windscreen.

As per the records, Nagpur (rural) RTO office fined the bus for a broken windscreen and other offences, including an expired fitness certificate, in October 2022.

This challan was issued on October 11, 2022, imposing a collective fine of Rs 38,700 on the owner of the bus and its driver for various violations like not fitting a fire extinguisher, non-functional speed governor (speed limiting device) and obstruction to the emergency exit of the bus.

The challan shows the bus owner and the driver were slapped with a Rs 24,000 fine for the expired fitness certificate.

Notably, the fine of Rs 38,700 was paid on the evening of October 11.

Interestingly, this was the second occasion when the private bus was fined for the expired fitness certificate. On August 24, 2022, a fine of Rs 4,000 was imposed for a similar violation by Aurangabad RTO, as per the online data.

The transport department’s Vahan database, however, shows that the bus’ fitness certificate was valid from March 11, 2022, to March 10, 2024. Even the primary report of the Amravati RTO after the bus accident highlighted that the fitness certificate is valid till March 10 next year.

The data raises a question about the possible reason behind the bus owner paying a heavy fine twice for an expired fitness certificate even though it is valid.

The Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Department (MMVD) has cancelled the registration of the private sleeper coach bus early this month and also scrapped the licence of its driver, an official said on Tuesday.

According to the police, a forensic probe into the tragedy has revealed the bus driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. The driver was subsequently arrested for negligent driving.

Notably, nearly 30 per cent of more than 14,000 private buses checked by regional transport offices in Maharashtra between May 15 and June 30 were found to be flouting rules, the transport department has said.