Kurnool bus tragedy a rerun of bus fire of 2013

The bus tragedy at Kurnool that claimed 19 lives on Friday is a stark reminder that nothing has changed after the horrific fire in a Hyderabad-bound private bus from Bengaluru 12 years ago that had claimed the lives of 48 people in Palem of Mahabubnagar.

In fact, it is a rerun of the accident that took place in October 2013, as there was a massive blaze after the bus hit a culvert and ruptured its diesel tank, resulting in tragic consequences. Every day, thousands of people, particularly IT professionals, travel between Hyderabad and Bengaluru and other nearby cities in private-run fleets of sleeper AC buses, which have mostly been modified to accommodate sleeping arrangements. Rules are routinely flouted and there are hardly any mechanisms to keep a check on the vehicles described by many as “sleeping coffins” because of frequent fatal accidents when the single exit point gets locked.

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Meanwhile, Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said a meeting will be arranged with the transport ministers and commissioners of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana. “Thousands of people travel daily between Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana. We will take all kinds of measures to prevent such incidents in the future,” he said.

Even after the Mahabubnagar tragedy, an inquiry report had blamed the modifications and pointed fingers at the loopholes in the system, but it was apparently dumped as the incident faded from public memory.

The survivors of the Kurnool bus tragedy complained that not only did the two drivers not extend any help, but there were no safety hammers or fire extinguishers in the bus to buy some time for the sleeping passengers.

However, AP Home Minister Anitha said that the permits of the ill-fated bus were all in order. She announced a high-level inquiry committee to probe the incident. Telangana Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, who visited the spot, blamed the driver for the accident, saying the government will henceforth insist on proper training of the drivers of private fleets.

Following the tragedy at Kurnool, many people called for a ban on unauthorised modifications and emphasised real-time safety audits and strict enforcement of speed limits on highways. BRS leader and former IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar said, “A thorough investigation into this incident is necessary. Over the past decade, thousands of buses have been converted into sleeper coaches. These need to be constantly monitored. Drivers should be provided with training. No vehicles lacking safety features should be allowed on the road. Insurance facilities must be mandatorily provided to all passengers.”