94 casualties in 338 accidents, but MTC bus drivers go scot-free

Last week, a 39-year-old woman riding a two-wheeler was fatally run over by an MTC at Kovilambakkam on Medavakkam Main Road for no fault of hers. The victim, Akhilandeswhari (39), just slowed down her bike on seeing a cow in the middle of the road, but was hit by the bus (D51) going towards Tambaram from behind. She was rushed to the hospital, but couldn’t be saved. 

Akhilandeswhari, a widow who is survived by a college-going daughter, is among the 94 victims who lost their lives to the rash driving of MTC buses last year. Overall, 338 mishaps involving MTC buses have taken place in 2016. 

Official statistics show that persons aged between 15 and 29 have been most vulnerable, having either lost their lives or suffered serious injuries due to the carelessness of MTC drivers. Twenty-six men of this age group have died and 116 men and women have been injured. 

As per the data, a majority of the victims have been two-wheeler motorists as 43 of them have died while 124 sustained injuries. They are followed by pedestrians, as 25 of them met their fate on the road. The number of injured pedestrians stands at 32. 

Speaking to DTNext, a senior official of MTC said that the number of mishaps has this year as the number of casualties stood at 130 or 150 in the previous years, respectively. He said the MTC department send drivers for rigorous training to help them manoeuvre better on roads to avoid mishaps.  

“Mishaps occur when motorists attempt to overtake the MTC buses. The driver cannot see them. Students, who risk their lives by foot-boarding, are also prone to mishaps. At the end of the day, the drivers go scot free as the department merely issues a memo and an inquiry is initiated. If their reckless driving is proved, the drivers could be suspended for a month. Their driving license is cancelled by the RTO for a month or for a maximum of six months and after that they will be back to work. 

Even in court of law, the conviction rate of drivers who cause the deaths is low. Advocate Reuben of Madras High Court says that the drivers are tried under Section 304A in The Indian Penal Code (Causing death by negligence), which treats the crime as bailable offence. 

“The cases are closed after paying a fine as in most incidents the evidences and witness are weak to convict the drivers,” he said.